


As I Tumble Through The Looking Glass and Fall Upon My Knees

by Deans_Fetish



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, BAMF Castiel, Blanket spoiler warning for 4:01 to 7:02 due to fiction being quite AU, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memory Swipe, Promised Character Death/Peace, Slight Schmoopy Feelings, Snark & Sarcasm, Some Humor, Swearing, Torture, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-14
Updated: 2012-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:54:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8908045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deans_Fetish/pseuds/Deans_Fetish
Summary: Jimmy Novak allowed himself to be used as the vessel for an angel named Castiel. One night Castiel abruptly leaves him and Jimmy is left to deal with the aftermath and the knowledge of things he never wanted to know and that his frail human body can not take. When demons hear of the newly emptied vessel they come for it, attacking not only Jimmy but the Winchester boys. During the brawl Dean Winchester is kidnapped and Jimmy must once again call on the angel that had once used him as a vessel. He offers himself up so that Castiel can rescue Dean for a price; he wants only two things. One, to be allowed the release of death now so that he can be free to go to Heaven and two, a promise that Castiel will see to it that his human family is never harmed. If the angel agrees he can have Jimmy’s body forever, save his beloved Dean Winchester and never have to worry about the human spirit that once dwelt within.





	1. Chapter 1

The intense light that unexpectedly shot through the motel room was radiant enough to blind anyone within a mile radius who might have had the misfortune of looking before it extinguished, disappearing just as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving the world once more blanketed in the darkness of night. 

“Agh, God,” came an agonized groan from one of the occupants in the room. 

The pained sentiment was echoed by the person in the bed opposite his own. 

His arm lifted to his tightly squinted eyes shielding them from brilliance that had filled the room only moments ago and awakened both he and the other person from sleep. He searched their immediate surroundings for whatever it was that had happened to cause the otherworldly light, brow creased in groggy confusion. 

“What the hell?” growled Dean incredulously as he turned his head and looked over at his brother. 

Sam’s lips parted as though he were about to speak only to snap closed and press firmly together as he shook his head, brow creased in puzzlement as he lowered his gaze thoughtfully. 

“No idea,” he replied as he lifted his head and looked back at his brother. 

“Great,” huffed Dean irritatedly before throwing back the blankets.

“Cas,” he called as he climbed from the bed and grabbed his discarded jeans, pulling them on. 

Sam stared at Dean in stupefaction for a fraction of a second before following his brother’s lead, swiftly pulling from the bed and grabbing for his clothes which he hurriedly began pulling on. 

Dean paused in mid-motion of buttoning his jeans and his brows rose, eyes darting anxiously to Sam who also paused in dressing when there was no answer from the angel. 

“Oh that can’t be good,” muttered Dean worriedly before quickly finishing with the fastenings of his jeans. 

Before another word could be spoken between them a low tortured groan sounded from the other side of the partition that separated the couch and table from the beds. 

Dean’s eyes widened at the sound and he quickly turned his attention away from his brother, inching forward quietly. Crouching down silently next to where his duffel lay across the room from the foot of the beds he reached a hand just inside and grabbed his pistol before his gaze darted back to Sam pointedly. 

Sam gave Dean a small nod of understanding and his throat convulsed as he swallowed hard, lifting his gaze and his attention toward whatever might be lurking on the other side of the petition. 

Pulling to his full height, Dean’s own focus was riveted on whatever it was that was waiting for them on the other side of the dividing wall. Holding the weapon tightly in his hands, the elder Winchester aimed the gun out in front of them as the brothers crept warily forward toward the area where the strange groan had sounded. 

Rounding the corner of the half wall, Dean’s gaze darted searching out whatever hidden dangers might be lurking as he pointed the gun in each direction that any threat might come at them from only to find nothing there, the room seeming to be completely empty other than them. 

Slowly Dean lowered the pistol as he looked over at Sam and lifted his brows questioningly. 

Sam frowned in confusion and shook his head in reply to his brother’s silent inquiry.

When the sound of another tortured groan split the silence that had filled the room both of the brothers' attentions snapped back forward. Jaw clenched, Dean immediately pulled the pistol back up, pointing the barrel out before them as they crept cautiously forward, their eyes restlessly darting about the darkened room. 

Dean’s gaze lowered and he sucked in a surprised breath, his eyes widening with shock as he spotted the source of the pained sounds. It seemed that Sam had caught sight of the same thing that he had and apparently at the same moment, if his brother’s startled gasp echoing his own as they’d stood next to one another was anything to go by. 

“Cas,” Dean called apprehensively as he tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans and hurried forward to where the angel lay in a crumpled heap with Sam falling in step at his side. 

Reaching the angel’s side Dean quickly crouched down, his gaze roaming agitatedly over Castiel’s fallen body before lifting to Sam as his brother crouched at the angel’s opposite side. Lips parted with befuddlement, cat-like green eyes anxiously searched his brother’s as though for answers as to what had happened; though feeling as baffled as Dean, Sam was helpless to offer his brother any answers and merely gave his head a slow shake in reply. 

Castiel’s softly grunted groan had both Winchesters eyes widening slightly as they lowered their gazes to the angel, automatically reaching for him as Castiel’s azure eyes blinked groggily open. Each brother reflexively slipped a hand under the angel’s upper back in a likely futile attempt to help him sit up. 

Both Winchesters were slightly taken aback at the fact that it seemed as though they had actually helped the angel to sit up as the sudden realization struck them that they’d supported a good amount of Castiel’s body weight braced against their hands before they’d pulled them away. 

Dean’s gaze roamed worriedly over the angel’s features, “Cas, are you okay?” He inquired anxiously. 

“Castiel?” the angel asked, brow knitted in confusion, “You mean the angel, Castiel?” 

Dean’s befuddled gaze shot upward, meeting Sam’s eyes which seemed to hold a mirror image of his own bewilderment before he quickly lowered his attention back down to the angel sitting on the floor between them. 

“Yeah, Cas, I mean you,” Dean affirmed incredulously. 

Castiel’s head shook as his puzzled gaze met and held the verdant green eyes of the Winchester speaking to him, “I - I’m not Castiel, I’m… my name is Jimmy,” he stammered tentatively. 

Dean’s eyes widened to near comic proportions and he sucked in a breath just before his dumbfounded gaze snapped up to meet Sam’s equally stupefied one. The Winchesters stared at one another for a brief moment as though each expected that in doing so the other to suddenly reveal the answers to what in the hell was going on. Swallowing hard, the brothers lowered their attentions once more to the being they had known only hours before as Castiel, angel of the Lord. 

Dean’s lips moved though no sound came out as his gaze ranked over Jimmy’s features in mystified horror. 

“Wha’ - what do you mean, you’re not Castiel?” Dean demanded, eyes tightening into a threatening scowl as his jaw clenched angrily. His hands shot up, roughly grabbing fistfuls of the front of Jimmy’s trench coat intimidatingly. 

“Where is he?” Dean growled from between clenched teeth as he used the tight grip that he had on the man’s trench to give him a hard menacing shake. 

Jimmy’s hands lifted instantly to Dean’s wrists in a rather futile attempt to get the man to release him as he clenched his own teeth against the jarring feeling that seemed to ricochet through his muddled brain. 

“I don’t know,” Jimmy choked out. 

Sam’s lips were parted in shock as his wide eyed and traumatized gaze darted back and forth between his brother and the man named Jimmy a moment before he intervened, inserting himself between the two of them, one hand pushing at his brother’s chest while he blocked Jimmy with his opposite arm. 

“Dean, calm down,” he commanded, “Don’t hurt him!” 

Dean’s enraged actions ceased abruptly at his brother’s insistence though he didn’t release his tight grasp on the front of the man’s coat and his jaw remained angrily clenched, his jade eyes continuing to burn with deadly fury. 

“Why the hell not, Sam?” Dean roared, “The sonuvabitch did something to Cas!” 

Sam huffed out a soft breath before pressing his lips tightly together in a firm line, his eyes tightening as he stared incredulously at his brother. 

“Come on, Dean, you really think this guy could do anything to Cas?” he inquired skeptically. 

Dean’s gaze lowered again to Jimmy, narrowing suspiciously as his hands that had remained fisted threateningly in the material of the man’s trench jerked hard against the fabric.

“This would be the part where you explain what the hell happened,” he snarled. 

Jimmy’s lips parted and his eyes widened as he struggled to find the words to explain what _he_ didn’t even understand. His eyes darted over to Sam beseechingly before returning to Dean as he shook his head in bafflement. 

“All I know is, is that one minute Castiel was here and now,” Jimmy explained and shook his head helplessly, “he’s not,” he sighed wearily. “It’s just me.” 

Dean’s eyes darted incredulously up to his brother’s perplexed features before lowering again to Jimmy. 

“You mean he just up and left you?” he inquired skeptically as he lifted his brows.

Jimmy nodded adamantly, “Yes,” he declared firmly, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” 

Dean brows lowered as he narrowed his eyes and he pressed his lips together in a firm tight line of distrust. 

Jimmy huffed irritatedly at the look he was getting from the man who seemed to have his fists glued to the front of his trench coat. He didn’t understand what this guy wanted from him, he had told him the truth; one minute he had been in a semi-unconscious state with Castiel totally and completely in charge of everything and the next, here he was and Castiel was just… gone. 

He turned his head and his attention swung to the other man, the much larger one that seemed to not be quite as belligerent and wasn’t clutching viciously to the lapels of his jacket. Lifting his brows sincerely he tried for a small amicable smile although it probably didn’t come out very friendly, but rather a lot more like a sarcastic sneer. 

“Could I possibly get a little help getting up?” he inquired brusquely. 

Sam’s almond shaped eyes blinked wider at Jimmy’s inquiry, slightly taken aback that neither he nor his brother had even thought to help the man to his feet before now. 

“Oh, right,” he muttered with a nod as he shifted his body and reached for Jimmy, “Yeah, c’mon,” he mumbled. 

Despite his brother’s annoyance with his actions, Sam pushed Dean’s hands out of the way and gripped the front of Jimmy’s trench, clutching fistfuls of the material. A soft grunt of exertion passed Sam’s lips as he tugged the smaller man up while pulling to his own feet. 

Dean’s brow furrowed with incredulous irritation as his eyes tracked Sam, watching his brother haul the man to his feet.

 _…the Hell?_ Dean thought as he quickly climbed to his own feet, his eyes darting between his brother and the son of a bitch who claimed to not know what’d happened to Castiel. 

Releasing the front of Jimmy’s trench, Sam ran his hands awkwardly down the lapels of the man’s trench coat in a futile effort to smooth out the crumpled material. Lifting his eyes to Sam’s, Jimmy offered a tight lipped smile before giving a nod of gratitude and lowering his own attention to the front of his jacket. He watched Sam’s hands fall away and attempted stupidly to finish where the younger Winchester had left off trying to smooth out the fabric of his trench. 

Sam returned Jimmy’s nod and small tight smile before self-consciously pulling his hands away, allowing them to fall limply at his sides. 

Dean’s jaw clenched with enraged annoyance as his eyes continued to dart between Sam and Jimmy, “What the Hell are you doin’, Sam?” he demanded. 

Sam’s brow knitted in confusion at his brother’s misplaced outrage as he turned his head and looked over at him. 

“What do you mean, what am I doin’?” Sam spat incredulously. 

“Seems he’s not totally convinced that I don’t know what happened to Castiel,” Jimmy cut in. 

Dean clenched his teeth in anger and a muscle twitched in his jaw as his attention snapped to the trench coat adorned asshole. Without a word, without a warning, Dean pulled back a fist and with all of his fury and anxiety behind it, let it fly. His fist connected hard with Jimmy’s face efficiently rendering the man unconscious. 

Sam’s eyes widened at the sound of skin smacking hard against skin and his attention snapped from his brother to Jimmy just as the man’s knees began to buckle. He wasn’t certain how he’d managed it, perhaps it was simple luck due to his having been standing so close to Jimmy’s side, but Sam actually managed to turn and catch Jimmy under the arms before his flaccid body hit the floor; _again_. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sam barked, scowling in annoyance at his brother over the top of Jimmy‘s limply hanging head. . 

Dean lifted his gaze to his brother and the corners of his lips curved downward into a frown of consideration before he shrugged dismissively as his eyes lowered to Jimmy’s slumped form. His brows lifted and a bemused wry smirk curled his lips at the sight. 

“Looks like a lot less than what’s wrong with him,” he replied sardonically. 

“Dean, he - “ Sam began only to snap his mouth closed as he caught sight of the man slumped his arms out of the corner of his eye as though he’d nearly forgotten about his being there. 

With an almost exaggerated huff Sam glared at his brother and pressed his lips into a tight line of irritation. Rolling his eyes in exasperation Sam inched his way closer to the couch, dragging Jimmy along with him. He carefully lowered Jimmy down onto cushions before his attention swung away from the unconscious man and returned to his brother. 

“He doesn’t know anything,” Sam insisted. 

“Uh-huh,” Dean readily agreed as he lifted a finger, pointing it at Jimmy, “that’s what _he_ says,” he responded, his eyes tightening with suspicion. His hand fell to his side as he took a step toward Sam. “But how many times have you ever seen Cas tuck tail and run?” he questioned. 

“Well, never but…” Sam mumbled, his gaze darting to the comatose man as though looking for answers.

Dean shook his head when he saw the soft look on his brother’s face, recognizing it for what it was, Sam trying to give someone an out when there wasn’t one. 

“Uh-uh,” Dean objected, drawing his brother’s attention away from Jimmy and back to him. 

“I’m telling’ you, Sam, something’s screwy about all this. I got a gut feelin’ about it. This shit ain’t adding up and I trust my gut,” he reasoned. 

“And vessel boy,” he shook his head with a glance in Jimmy’s direction before looking back at Sam, “ain’t talkin’," he surmised. 

He huffed out a breath and he lifted of his brows pointedly as he gave a slightly sideways nod, “That alone tells me something here ain’t right.”

Jimmy groaned as consciousness slowly returned to him though he’d almost wished it hadn’t when the pain that bloomed underneath his eye and ran along the top of his cheek bone became more apparent. 

His hand lifted from where it lay next to him against the mattress. He reached up; gingerly feeling along the tender flesh under his eye with the tip of his fingers, wincing at the how badly bruised the skin felt. 

“Stupid jerk probably gave me a black eye,” he mumbled hoarsely half under his breath. 

He huffed in irritation at the thought, “You might like him, Castiel, but I’m not overly impressed so far,” he muttered softly to no one but himself since the angel seemed to be long gone. 

Dean stepped up to the side of the bed from where he and Sam had been sitting and talking, watching and waiting, and if the truth be known, _arguing_ about this Jimmy guy. 

Peering down at the man, Dean allowed his eyes to shift exaggeratedly from side to side before settling again on Jimmy as he lifted his brows questioningly, “Who ya talkin’ to, Jimmy?” 

Jimmy’s lips curved down into a disgruntled frown, “No one,” he muttered with a heavy sigh of frustration as he rolled his head to the side against the pillows, facing away from Dean. 

Dean’s brow quirked as he turned slightly, his gaze remaining steadfastly glued to the man lying in the bed before him, “Uh-huh,” he muttered skeptically. 

“What my brother means to say is,” Sam interrupted as he stepped up behind Dean, looking over his brother’s shoulder at Jimmy, “Are you hungry?” he inquired, brows raised questioningly. 

Jimmy stared up at Sam a little taken aback by the question. Was he hungry? He hadn’t thought about it really. Hell, he couldn’t even remember when the last time he’d eaten _was_. That last time he had sat at the supper table with his family, the night before Castiel had taken over his body? He found himself looking away as he swallowed hard and blinked back the sting of tears at the thought of his family. His heart clenched in his chest with just how very much he missed them. Blowing out a soft breath he returned his gaze to Sam and nodded gratefully. 

“Yeah,” he replied softly as he nodded, slightly shocked by the feeling of intense hunger that swamped him, “Starved actually.” 

“Oh great,” Dean sighed in annoyance as he rolled his eyes, his perturbed attention swinging from Jimmy to Sam, lips pressed together in a thin line of irritation. 

“Making a new friend are we, Sam?” Dean inquired sarcastically, with a lift of his brows. 

Sam’s eyes tightened in angry annoyance at his brother and a huff pushed past his lips, pointedly turning his attention back to Jimmy without a word to Dean. 

“I’ll go pick you up something,” he offered with a small amicable smile and a nod. “Anything particular you want?” he inquired with an interested lift of his brows. 

Jimmy’s gaze lowered and his brow creased thoughtfully for a moment before his eyes darted back to Sam’s, “Hamburger?” he suggested, “Couple of ’em?”

“You got it,” Sam replied with a nod, lips curled into a smile.

Sam’s attention swung from Jimmy over to Dean and his smile fell immediately away only to be replaced by a stern look, the same one that their father use to give them when they were children or at least Sam’s version of it, Dean tended to do a better job at giving those kinds of looks and barked orders. 

“Dean, behave yourself while I’m gone,” Sam commanded gently, glancing back at Jimmy briefly before his attention returned to his brother. 

“No punching…or killing anyone while I’m out, got it?” he instructed pointedly with a lift of his brows. 

Dean harrumphed and lowered his gaze before looking away stubbornly. Finally with a huff of annoyance he gave a disgruntled nod, returning his attention to his brother, “Yeah, I got it,” he grumped. 

Sam nodded his approval, “Good,” he muttered before turning and heading toward the door, grabbing up his jacket along the way. 

With his brother’s back turned toward them Dean’s eyes swiftly lowered to Jimmy shooting him a dark scowl that if looks truly did kill would have had Jimmy six foot under in a heart beat. He quickly lifted his gaze back to Sam when he caught movement from that direction out of the corner of his eye.

“I mean it you two,” Sam reiterated as he looked back at the two of them over his shoulder.

Dean huffed softly and tilted his head slightly to the side; lips pressed into a flat line of irritation as he stared back at his brother and lifted his arms, crossing them over his chest. 

Sam’s gaze slid from Dean over to Jimmy who nodded in return before Sam gave a sigh of acceptance and continued out the door, closing it softly behind him. 

Once the door closed behind his brother, Dean’s disgruntled gaze lowered to Jimmy. 

“You’re not gonna hit me again are you?” inquired Jimmy, lifting his dark brows in question. 

Dean huffed, lips pressing into a thin line of irritation once more. He allowed his arms to fall to his sides as he shook his head in annoyance. 

“No,” he muttered as he turned, walking across the room and over to the table, pulling out one of the chairs and taking a seat. He gave a one shouldered shrug, lips curved down into a thoughtful frown as his eyes met Jimmy’s, “Unless of course yer gonna let me have a freebie,” he finished. 

Jimmy pursed his lips together and shook his head, “I don’t think so, sorry,” he replied. 

Sitting forward in the chair, his elbows resting on his knees, Dean nodded and lowered his gaze, his head bowing slightly as he gave a small one shouldered shrug, lips curled down into a small frown of acceptance. 

“Can’t blame a guy for tryin’,” he muttered as he pulled his head up. 

Jimmy didn’t respond, at least not outright, instead he only lifted his brows and turned his head, looking away from Dean, toward the door, wishing like hell that the other guy would hurry up and come back. At least he seemed like someone he could talk to. He really didn’t understand what Castiel saw in this one here, he was just glad that he no longer had to hear the angel’s inner monologue and all the angst over feelings that Castiel knew he shouldn’t be having for a human. 

Lifting his head, Dean eyed Jimmy a moment as his countenance fell with the possibility that no one knew where Cas was, what had happened or if he was coming back. 

“So, ya really don’t know what happened to Cas, huh?” Dean questioned, breaking the silence and causing Jimmy to look back at him. 

“No,” he replied evenly, his gaze unwavering as he looked into Dean’s face, “I don’t,” he answered, again.

“Well, I just find it funny that Cas would take off like that, I mean he doesn’t tend to run from much of anything,” Dean remarked with a shrug. 

He shifted uncomfortably in the chair and his hand rose, wiping down over his face thoughtfully only to fall away with a huffed breath of irritation before his tongue darted out, licking across his lips, his brows knitted in disgruntlement. 

“I get that you didn’t do it, I do,” he explained abruptly, “it’s just that…” 

“It’s just that what?” Jimmy coaxed gently. 

“It’s just that,” Dean began again then dropped his gaze with an annoyed huff before lifting his eyes once again to Jimmy’s, “I don’t want anything to happen to him, alright?” he snapped irritatedly. 

Jimmy’s brows rose then lowered as he shook his head and gave an indulgent smile, the same smile that he use to give his daughter Claire on occasion, “Dean, Castiel is an angel, I doubt you need to worry about him.” 

“Hah,” Dean scoffed as he eyed Jimmy skeptically, “Then you don’t know Cas very well at all,” he retorted. “He’s like heaven’s two year old! If there’s trouble to get into, Cas is knee deep in the trench,” he snarled adamantly. 

Jimmy’s eyes widened in amazement that any angel of the Lord could actually fit the description that Dean was painting for him, “Well then it’s no wonder I feel like I’ve been chained to a comet,” he muttered sardonically. 

Dean’s eyes widened slightly as he gave a one shouldered shrug, frowning thoughtfully, “Well yeah,” he mumbled in agreement. 

His brows furrowed as he eyed Jimmy, “How long’s Cas been inside you anyway?” 

Jimmy shook his head and sighed heavily as he lifted a hand, scrubbing it over his face and around to the back of his neck as he looked away thoughtfully. 

“Eh, I dunno,” he mumbled and returned his attention to Dean’s face, “What’s the date?”

“December twentieth,” Dean replied. 

He pulled from the chair to his feet, standing instead in front of the table, leaning slightly back against it and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for Jimmy’s answer. 

“Oh,” Jimmy muttered with a slightly perplexed frown as he lowered his gaze briefly in thought. 

“Huh,” he mused softly and swung his legs off the side of the bed, sitting up on the edge of the mattress. 

There was happiness in his azure blue eyes now as they lifted and met Dean’s, “Well it hasn’t been nearly as long as I’d feared apparently,” he replied with a smile that lit up his face. It was a look that Dean had never seen on Castiel before and had him pausing momentarily to drink in the sight, even if his angel wasn’t actually ‘home’ at the moment. 

“It was just after Thanksgiving that Castiel came to me,” Jimmy finished. 

Dean cleared his throat, shaking himself out of the strange stupor he’d went off into for a second and his brow furrowed as he glowered darkly at Jimmy, “I happen to know for a fact that Cas was in you long before Thanksgiving, so how ’bout you try that again,” he growled dangerously low. 

Jimmy’s brows knitted and he stared incredulously at Dean as he pulled to his feet, standing next to the bed, looking way too helluva lot like Castiel for Dean’s liking. 

“I spent Thanksgiving with my family,” he insisted pointedly. 

“You spent Thanksgiving, or Cas did with me and Sam hunkered down in an abandoned house,” Dean argued. 

“I - I don’t know what you’re talking about, I mean even an angel can't possibly do what you’re suggesting,” Jimmy rambled as he began to anxiously pace. 

“He can’t have me in two places at once, not to mention as both myself and Castiel the angel. I - I would have remembered, _something_! I - I’ve been shot, stabbed, I’ve had my body healed I don’t know how many times and most of _that_ I remember, so to not remember this,” he shook his head turning wide distressed eyes to Dean as he paused in his pacing, “it isn’t possible.”

“You remember being possessed?” Dean inquired incredulously. 

“Mm,” Jimmy hummed in affirmation, “parts,” he muttered with a shrug of one shoulder as he resumed pacing though slower this time, “bits and pieces really.” 

“So wait a minute,” Dean interrupted, pulling a hand from across his chest and gesturing with it as he spoke, “You remember all that but you don’t remember squatting in a house with me and Sam last month?” He surmised skeptically, forehead creased and a single brow quirked in disbelief. 

Jimmy paused and looked back at Dean, nodding. “Yeah, that’s right,” he confirmed. 

“Oh bull shit,” Dean drawled disgusted disgruntlement, “What a load’a crap!” 

“It’s the truth,” Jimmy protested. “I remember Thanksgiving with my wife and my daughter but I definitely don’t remember being in some house with you and your brother,” he retorted. 

His head tilted to the side and his brow creased as he gazed at Dean thoughtfully, much the way Castiel would. 

Dean’s brow knitted and his head pulled back incredulously as he returned Jimmy’s gaze, “Oh for the love of…” he groused in disgusted irritation. “Do you have to look at me like that?” he snarled. 

Jimmy blinked at him in confusion, uncertain what was wrong with the way he was looking at Dean. 

He shook his head dismissively after a moment, “I was just thinking,” he went on, “I _do_ remember being in a house with you and Sam at one point,” he mused, “with Castiel of course,” he amended, “But…That could actually have been any time since Castiel took over control,” he sighed and frowned in frustration. 

“I can’t believe it was Thanksgiving though because I remember being with my family for that, unless… Dean what year is it?” Jimmy inquired. 

“What?” Dean asked confusedly. 

“What’s the year? It was 2008 when Castiel came for me,” he explained.

Dean’s eyes widened slightly and his brows rose before his lip curled sickly, “Uh, try 2011, dude,” he replied. 

Jimmy’s features fell at the knowledge that he had been gone from Amelia and Claire’s lives now for three long years. He hadn’t known the length of time that Castiel would use his body but somehow he just hadn’t thought it be quite this long. Not that he’d had anything to base that assumption on other than a strong faith in God and a belief in the righteousness of His angels. December twentieth, two thousand eleven. The very thought nearly boggled his mind and had him quickly moving to sit down on the end of the bed. 

Dean’s eyes widened with alarm and his arms dropped to his sides as he moved hurriedly forward. His brow creased with concern as he reached for Jimmy, preparing to catch him if necessary. 

“You alright, man?” he inquired with a lift of his brow as he placed a hand down on Jimmy‘s shoulder. 

Jimmy nodded in silent affirmation and turned his head away as he sighed dejectedly, “I just…I miss my family,” he replied miserably. 

That was one thing Dean hadn’t expected, for the man to go all wide eyed lost puppy emotional on him. It reminded him of when Sam did only this was actually worse because at least with Sam he was somewhat use to it, this guy doing it just made him officially uncomfortable. 

Dean’s hand pulled slightly off Jimmy’s shoulder as his head pivoted from side to side, eyes darting about the room as though searching for someone else to deal with the grieving man in front of him. Heaving a heavy sigh of resignation, Dean returned his attention to Jimmy and with an aggravated roll of his eyes, crouched down next to the man. 

“There was a while there back when Sam was away at college and my Dad was,” he began only to pause in his words and scoff disgustedly as he shook his head, “God only knows where,” he mumbled, finishing the thought. 

“I was pretty much on my own and I missed my family then just as much as you miss yours now,” he explained. 

Jimmy sniffled softly and cleared his throat, blinking back the sting of tears from his eyes as he turned his head and his skeptical gaze met Dean’s. 

“Okay, sure maybe it’s a little different because I don’t have a wife or - or a daughter, but…” Dean allowed with a slight shrug of one shoulder. 

_Don’t have a lame job, a house with a white picket fence, a mortgage or any of the other parts of a boring life either, but still it’s pretty much the same idea._

Jimmy didn’t argue despite disagreeing completely with the hunter next to him and instead only clenched his jaw, muscle twitching. 

“I want to go home,” Jimmy responded. 

Dean’s lips parted and his eyes widened in shock at the unexpected declaration. His brow creased as he frowned incredulously, blinking in bafflement at the man just before the motel room door began to open, the sound of it drawing their attention. Dean immediately rose to his full height, standing next to Jimmy as the motel room door swung open. 

Stepping into the room carrying three bags of food and a container of drinks in his hands, Sam stopped dead in his tracks as he took note of the perturbed look on his brother’s face. His gaze darted between Dean and Jimmy, brow knitting curiously. He lifted his brows in question as he returned his attention to his brother. 

“Uh, am I interrupting something?” Sam inquired in confusion. 

“What?” Dean inquired, “Nah,” he muttered with a shake of his head, lips curled down into a frown, brow furrowed incredulously. 

He stepped around Jimmy and continued forward, crossing the distance between himself and Sam. 

Reaching for the bags of food that his brother held Dean leaned in just a bit, “We got a flight risk,” he muttered softly, half under his breath so that Jimmy wouldn’t hear or notice. 

Turning away from Sam once he’d taken the bags from his brother, Dean left Sam standing there staring after him and holding only the drink tray as he carried the food back across the room toward the table. 

“Uh,” Sam mumbled as he squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head in an attempt to pull himself out of his stupor. Reopening his eyes he turned his attention to Jimmy as he continued into the room, following Dean’s lead and heading over to the table with the tray of sodas. 

“How ya doin’, man?” Sam inquired. 

Jimmy nodded exasperatedly and turned his attention solely to the table and the food upon it. 

“I’m going home,” he replied bluntly as he pulled to his feet. 

Setting the tray of drinks down on the table, Sam turned to face Jimmy, brow creased with concern. 

“Home?” Sam echoed. 

“Yes,” Jimmy confirmed. “I’m from Pontiac, Illinois, I have a home and a family there and I want to go back,” he explained. 

Sam’s gaze swung to where Dean stood across the table from him and Jimmy. His brother’s features were a mask of unease; his brow furrowed and a muscle twitched in his clenched jaw as Dean’s jade eyes darted between Sam and Jimmy while he listened to their conversation.

Sam’s attention moved back to Jimmy as he frowned and nodded thoughtfully. He lowered his gaze as he reached for one of the chairs at the table and pulled it out. 

“Going home,” he remarked with an impressed lift of his brows.

He looked back up and his eyes met Jimmy’s briefly before lowering once more as he took a seat in the chair and scooted it up to the table then reached for one of the bags of food. 

“How long’s it been?” he inquired glancing up at Jimmy. 

His brow furrowed when Jimmy remained standing instead of taking a seat at the table and Sam distractedly motioned for him to sit down before he lowered his gaze once more to the bag of food in front of him which he reached into and began digging through the contents of. 

Jimmy glanced over at Dean before reaching for the chair in front of him, pulling it almost awkwardly out as he prepared to take a seat. 

Dean watched the man across from him almost warily, his eyes tracking each of Jimmy’s movements and as the man pulled out his chair to take a seat, Dean did the same, reaching for the back of the chair in front of him. The two men then seemed to move in sync after that as though each movement was choreographed, both taking a seat at the same time, their actions mirroring one another as Dean sat down across from his brother and Jimmy took a seat at the head of the table. 

“Three years,” Dean interrupted, answering his brother’s question. 

“Huh?” Sam asked as he looked over at Dean curiously while in the process of pulling out two burgers from the bag. 

“That’s how long it’s been since Jimmy’s seen his family,” Dean explained sagely, “Three years.”

Sam’s brows rose as he tore his gaze from Dean, turning his head and looking over at Jimmy as though for confirmation. 

Jimmy’s attention darted between the brothers before settling on Sam as the younger Winchester‘s eyes met his own.

“Just over three years actually,” Jimmy confirmed with a nod. 

“Huh…” Sam muttered thoughtfully as his brows knitted in contemplation while his attention lowering to their food. 

He pretended to be unfazed and disinterested in the idea of Jimmy going home as though it were the most mundane thing on the planet when in all actuality it was anything but. 

Jimmy couldn’t go home, he could never go home again. For one thing, he was now public enemy number one to any and all demons out there and that was just the tip of the ice burg.

Sam’s attention swung to Dean briefly, a silent message of agreement passing between them that despite the man’s wishes, they could not allow Jimmy to go home. Doing such a thing would only put innocent people, Jimmy’s family, in danger. 

He kept his gaze lowered as he passed out the hamburgers in silence, handing off two of the burgers to Jimmy while keeping one for himself and sliding the other two to his brother. He handed Dean and Jimmy large orders of French fries while he kept a small order for himself as well as a small salad. Passing a styrofome container holding a small sliver of pie to Dean, Sam pulled the cups of soda out of the drink tray and placed one down in front of each of them before sitting back in his chair and reaching for his food.

“Mmm,” Jimmy hummed with an appreciative shake of his head. 

His eyes slipped briefly closed in satisfaction before opening once more as he wiped his mouth with his napkin then tossed it down onto the table along with the rest of his garbage. 

“Thanks for dinner, Sam,” he sighed, lifting his eyes to the younger Winchester as he sat back in his chair.

Sam nodded as he lifted his attention from the last bites of his salad to Jimmy. 

“No problem,” he responded, offering the man a small tight lipped amicable smile. 

Jimmy returned Sam’s smile briefly before it slipped away and his attention darted between the two brother’s. 

“I really don’t know where we are,” he began only to pause and glance pointedly around them before returning his attention to the Winchesters, “But I understand if taking me to Pontiac is too much to ask,” he allowed. “I don’t want you to go out of your way for me. I can catch a bus, it’s not an issue.” 

Lifting his gaze from his pie, Dean stared up into Jimmy’s face from under his brows as a muscle twitched in his clenched jaw. He heaved a heavy sigh of annoyance as he allowed his fork to fall from his fingers and into the styrofoam container that held the last couple bites of his pie. 

“No,” he replied decisively with a firm shake of his head as he lowered his gaze and reached for his plastic fork, “You’re not catchin’ a bus anywhere and we’re not having this conversation.” 

“What?” Jimmy asked incredulously, his attention darting between Dean and Sam, “And why not? By some miracle I’m out and I’m done! I’ve given enough, okay?” Jimmy retorted. 

“No, it’s not okay,” Dean retorted belligerently as he slowly pulled to his feet, his eyes boring into Jimmy’s. 

“Dean,” Sam warned softly, his gaze darting anxiously between his brother and Jimmy. 

“No, Sam,” Dean responded as a muscle in his jaw twitched, his attention never wavering from Jimmy‘s face. 

“The way I see it,” he continued, “you’re not the one who’s given somethin’ in all this, seems to me that your wife and daughter have given a helluva lot too. For the last three years they’ve been without a husband and a father and if you insist on going back to them now it’s gonne be even worse for them.” 

Jimmy slowly pulled to his feet as Dean railed at him, his gaze never leaving the elder Winchester’s though his eyes widened dubiously the more he listened to his words.

“Yes, they’ve been without me for three years,” he agreed and lifted his brows, “Which is why I really don’t see how it’ll be so much worse for them now if I go back,” he argued. 

Dean’s brows rose incredulously, “You wanna repeat that? ’Cause what I heard was that your level of stupidity doesn’t stop with volunteering to become an angel condom.”

“No, what I heard was that your superior level of stupid goes above and beyond that to actually leading demons right to the people you claim to love,” he spat with a tightlipped nod, brows still raised mockingly. 

“That’s real special,” he quipped sardonically as his eyes tightened accusingly. 

Jimmy turned his head to the side as he scoffed and rolled his eyes incredulously. 

“I told you, I’m out of all that,” he insisted as he returned his annoyed attention to Dean. 

He shook his head, “Angels, demons, I don’t want any part of that anymore. I just want to go home to my wife and daughter, live my life. I want things to go back to the way they were before Castiel spoke to me,” he explained. 

Dean huffed softly and glanced over at his brother, a silent message passing between them as they mirrored one another’s look of disgruntled irritation. 

Dean hung his head dejectedly for a moment before lifting his head, his attention returning to Jimmy, “I hate to be the one to break it to ya, Jimmy, but it doesn’t work quite that way,” he sighed. 

Jimmy’s gaze darted between Dean and Sam, lips parted in confusion and curiosity.

“What do you mean it doesn’t work quite that way?” Jimmy demanded. 

“It means you can never go home. It means that just because Cas left you, this is and never will be over for you. It means demons will always be after you,” Sam explained. 

“After me?” Jimmy asked incredulously, “For what?”

“For whatever you know,” Dean answered. 

“But I don’t know anything!” Jimmy argued adamantly. 

Dean shook his head, “Demons aren’t gonna care about that.” 

Jimmy sighed irritatedly and hung his head as he squeezed his eyes closed and lifted a hand, pinching the bridge of his nose against the stress headache he could feel coming on. 

“We should get out of here,” Dean mumbled as his attention swung to Sam. 

Sam nodded grimly, “Keep moving until we can maybe find out what the other side’s up to,” he suggested. 

“Yeah, it’d be the safest thing right now. Maybe we can get a hold of Bobby and get him to see what he can find out for us while we keep movin’ Jimmy around. Keep the demons guessin’,” Dean mused. 

Sam frowned thoughtfully as he nodded, “Yeah, sounds good, I’ll give Bobby a call,” he agreed. 

He pulled his cell from his jacket pocket and wandered off to another area of the room after pressing Bobby’s number on speed dial. 

Jimmy lifted his head, releasing the bridge of his nose and opening his eyes in the process, his wide eyed gaze darting from Dean to Sam and back. 

“Wait, who is this Bobby? And if my family is in so much danger should we be including him in all this?” he inquired anxiously. 

The corner of Dean’s lips quirked upward just slightly, “Bobby’s the last person you need to be worryin’ about,” he replied. 

“Get yourself ready, we’re leavin’ in ten and I don’t stop for pee breaks,” Dean instructed as he brushed past Jimmy, heading for the motel room door. 

Jimmy stared dumbfoundedly after Dean as the elder Winchester walked to and out the door. He scoffed irritatedly and shook his head, his eyes rolling heavenward. 

“You might see him as being tenacious, Castiel, but to me he’s just a major jerk,” spat Jimmy under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy Novak allowed himself to be used as the vessel for an angel named Castiel. One night Castiel abruptly leaves him and Jimmy is left to deal with the aftermath and the knowledge of things he never wanted to know and that his frail human body can not take. When demons hear of the newly emptied vessel they come for it, attacking not only Jimmy but the Winchester boys. During the brawl Dean Winchester is kidnapped and Jimmy must once again call on the angel that had once used him as a vessel. He offers himself up so that Castiel can rescue Dean for a price; he wants only two things. One, to be allowed the release of death now so that he can be free to go to Heaven and two, a promise that Castiel will see to it that his human family is never harmed. If the angel agrees he can have Jimmy’s body forever, save his beloved Dean Winchester and never have to worry about the human spirit that once dwelt within.

Sam had found out from Bobby, who’d heard from Rufus, who’d heard from some voodoo woman down South that there was a group of demons converging around the town where Castiel had abandoned his vessel; which meant it was pretty needless to say that they knew. The other thing it was relatively needless to say was that they had to keep moving, stopping meant that the demons would have a better chance of finding them and that was something that they simply couldn’t afford to chance. Jimmy might be a pain in the ass, but he was still an innocent pain in the ass despite the fact that he’d been stupid enough to allow an angel to wear him like a cheap suit. 

Speaking of a certain angel, if Dean ever got the chance, he was going to give Castiel an earful over this one. 

Jimmy slept often, to the point that were he not snoring in the back seat Dean would have started to think that maybe Castiel’s vessel had up and died back there. They’d been on the road for more than eighteen hours and Dean was sick of arguing with his brother about his getting some sleep. He didn’t need a babysitter to sit up with him and watch him while he drove but Sam sure as hell needed to get some sleep, if for no other reason than so that he’d stop acting like a little bitch. When Dean glanced over at his brother to find that Sam had finally given in and fallen asleep tucked up against the door the way he usually did, a pleased smile curled the elder Winchester’s lips. 

“That’s m’boy,” Dean muttered half under his breath, grin still curling his lips. 

Returning his attention to the blacktop stretching out before them, he reached forward and turned the radio marginally down then sat back against the leather seat with a soft sigh. 

As the miles passed by, with both Sam and Jimmy sound asleep in the car beside him, Dean not only grew bored, he began to get sleepy right along with them. At first he tried rolling down the window in the hopes that maybe that the crisp night air might do him some good and wake him up a little. When that did nothing for him he leaned forward and with an apologetic glance at Sam, turned the radio back up to a level that might actually aid in keeping him awake. Jimmy stirred slightly in the backseat at the increase in volume though he settled back in a moment later; where Sam on the other hand didn’t even flinch at all. Dean’s lips quirked upward proudly as he glanced at his brother before returning his attention to the road. He hummed to the music for a full minute or two before deciding that it wasn’t nearly entertaining enough and switched to singing the lyrics instead; his voice just as loud and off key as always. 

Sam groaned as he stirred and his brow creased, head lifting up off the window glass. He sniffed as he sat up straighter, blinking his eyes open. Lifting a hand he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned as he looked around himself outside the windows around him and over at his brother. 

“Where are we?” he inquired. 

“This?" asked Dean with a lift of his brows as he glanced over at his brother before returning his attention to the world outside the windshield. 

“Oh this is the very scenic and picturesque Bumfuk Nowhere, don’t you recognize it?” he quipped sarcastically. 

Sam huffed softly and shook his head as he returned his attention to the rolling fields of crap that he was unable to make out in the darkness outside the windows, “Nice,” he responded sardonically. 

Dean nodded as he lifted a hand from the wheel and brought it to his mouth in an attempt to conceal his wide yawn. 

The movement drew Sam’s attention to his brother and had him watching Dean, brow creased with concern. 

“You should get some sleep,” he murmured. 

“Yeah, lemme put a call in to demon headquarters and tell ’em that I need a nap. I’m sure they‘ll understand and call a time out,” Dean suggested sarcastically as he turned his attention to his brother, brow quirking pointedly. 

Sam huffed out a soft chuckle at his brother as he shook his head, “Jerk,” he muttered. 

“Bitch,” Dean responded automatically, a smirk tugging at his lips. 

Sam returned his attention to his brother, taking in the dark circles beneath Dean’s eyes and the way his brother seemed to be fighting to keep his eyes open. 

“Seriously, dude, a couple hours nap would do you good,” Sam insisted with a glance over his shoulder into the back seat before he looked back at Dean as he shook his head, “And I don’t think he’s goin’ anywhere. Besides, I can watch ’im while you get a little shut eye,” he coaxed. 

“Yeah?” Dean mused, brow quirking as his eyes darted between Sam and the road. 

Sam nodded adamantly, brows raised earnestly, his lips parting, about to confirm that he could indeed watch over Jimmy while Dean slept only to have his brother interrupt him before he got the chance. 

“So if you watch him for me, who’s gonna watch you?” Dean inquired sardonically with a lift of his brows. 

“Ha - ha,” Sam mocked, eyes tightening in annoyance at his brother, “Very funny,” he spat dryly. 

A wide teasing grin curled Dean’s lips as he snickered before outright laughing at his brother’s expense. 

_Yes, sometimes it really was good to be the older brother,_ he thought humorously to himself as he took the next exit off the main highway.

Jimmy startled awake as the Impala came to a stop in front of some out of the way, no name motel just off the beaten path. Blinking away the remains of sleep, he sat upright and his head pivoted as he gazed in confused curiosity out the windows of the Impala before he leaned forward toward the Winchesters and his gaze darted between Dean and Sam. 

“Where are we?” he inquired. 

Pausing in reaching for the car door having been about to shoulder it open and slide from behind the wheel so that he could get them a room and he could get some sleep, Dean turned his attention to Sam with a lift of his brows, “He sleeps through Yngwie Malmsteen’s _‘Little Savage’_ but the car stops and suddenly he’s wide awake and needs attention. Congratulations, Sam, we’ve just adopted a two year old,” Dean quipped in dry sarcasm. 

Sam’s brow creased as he eyed his brother, “Yngwie who?” he inquired confusedly. 

Dean’s brow furrowed and his eye tightened as he scowled darkly at Sam, “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask me that,” he muttered dryly. 

Turning his attention disgustedly away from Sam, Dean pushed the car door open and slipped from behind the wheel. The door slammed shut behind him as Dean sauntered away from the car, heading for the motel office. 

“We’re getting a room?” Jimmy surmised with a lift of his brows as he turned his attention away from watching Dean out the car window and looked over at Sam. 

Sam nodded and glanced back at Jimmy, “Yeah,” he affirmed. “Yeah, we are. Just for a couple hours while Dean gets some sleep,” he explained. 

“Is that safe? I thought we had to keep moving,” Jimmy reasoned.

“Yeah well, we’re not,” Sam snapped irritatedly. 

He huffed out a breath of frustration and ran a hand back through his hair. 

“Look, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “Dean just needs a few hours sleep that’s all,” he explained. 

“You’ll be safe, you don’t have to worry,” he murmured. 

“Oh well if you say it then that makes me feel all better,” Jimmy muttered under his breath, turning his attention to the car door as it opened and Dean slid in behind the wheel. 

“Room seven-thirty,” Dean muttered, tossing the key to his brother as he turned the key in the Impala’s engine, starting the car. 

“So you’d you fill the Gerber baby back there in on what we’re doin’?” he inquired, quirking a brow at Sam.

Sam huffed out a soft chuckle as he nodded, “Uh, yeah,” he muttered with a brief glance back at a very disgruntled looking Jimmy before returning his gaze to Dean. 

“Yeah, I told him,” he confirmed. 

Dean nodded as he reached for the gear shift, a wide grin tugging at his lips, “Good,” he murmured with a glance into the rearview at Jimmy. 

Returning his attention forward, he threw the Impala into reverse and backed the car out of the parking space before turning the wheel sharply and driving them around to the back of the motel where their room was located. He pulled the car into the empty parking space out in front of room seven-thirty and turned off the engine with a heavy sigh. 

“Well here we are, home sweet…” he paused and frowned thoughtfully. “Roach infested dive?” he suggested with a lift of his brows as he turned his attention to Sam and reached for the door handle. 

“Castiel was right about one thing at least, you sure know how to put a positive spin on things,” Jimmy muttered sarcastically with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. 

Dean and Sam glanced back at Jimmy at the simultaneously then both looked away and over at one another with a soft disgusted huff. With a roll of his eyes Dean popped his car door open and slid from behind the wheel. 

“C’mon, let’s go,” Sam instructed as he reached for his own door handle, popping the car door open. Unfolded his long frame, he stood to his feet outside the car and slamming the door closed after himself. 

Jimmy sighed exasperatedly and reached for his own door handle, popping it open. Sliding from the backseat he stood to his feet outside the car next to Sam. Closing his own car door, Jimmy followed after the younger Winchester when Sam jerked his head to the side signaling Jimmy to go with him. Walking around the Impala, the two men stepped over to where Dean stood unlocking the motel room door. 

Dean turned the key in the lock with one hand and the handle with his other as he pushed open the motel room door. Releasing the key, he reached over to the wall with that hand and felt around for a light switch. Finding it, he flicked on the light then pulled his hand away and reached back over for the key, tugging it from the lock as he stepped further into the room.

Sam and Jimmy filed into the room behind him as Dean sauntered past the small kitchenette and over to the bed closest to the door and unceremoniously flopped down onto the mattress with a low grunted groan. 

Sam veered off toward the kitchenette table, his focus no longer on his brother as he carefully placed his laptop bag on the table and pulled out a chair, taking a seat. 

Jimmy huffed softly and shook his head, a small smirk curling his lips as he shook his head and turned his attention away from Dean lying in the bed. 

“What?” Dean inquired irritatedly. 

Sam looked up from his laptop to see what had his brother bellowing with annoyance, his brow raised curiously as his gaze darted between Jimmy and his brother laying in the bed, a look of disgruntled irritation on his face though his eyes remained closed.

Jimmy shook his head, “Nothing,” he muttered dismissively. 

“Liar,” Dean spat angrily, his eyes popping open to stare accusingly up at Jimmy. 

“Dean,” Sam admonished gently. 

Dean barely spared Sam a glance before his intense gaze returned to Jimmy, eyes tightened into dangerous slits, muscle twitching in his jaw. 

Jimmy rolled his eyes and shook his head, “It’s really nothing, you’re going to feel foolish when I tell you,” he insisted. 

“Try me,” Dean growled softly. 

Jimmy sighed heavily in resignation and a soft blush worked its way across his cheeks and down his neck as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. 

“Well um, I kind of remember some things that Castiel use to think…about you and one of them sort of came to me when you did that just now…” Jimmy stammered. 

Dean quirked a brow and slowly sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the mattress, “When I did _what_ just now?” 

Jimmy turned his head, looking over at Sam as though asking for help only to have Sam quickly look away as though he hadn’t been listening in. 

Taking a deep fortifying breath, Jimmy blew it out and not for the first time since his body had been abandoned by the angel, cursed Castiel for having done so. 

“When you, um, laid down like that…I remembered Castiel…he use to watch you,” he mumbled awkwardly. 

Dean’s brow furrowed incredulously, “Come again?” 

Sam snickered from where he sat over at the table, pretending to be busily typing on his keyboard. 

Dean’s gaze swung from Jimmy to Sam and his eyes tightened darkly, “This is not funny, Sam,” he spat irritatedly. 

Sam pressed his lips together into a fine line and tried not to laugh, “Mmmm,” he hummed and shook his head, “M’not laughing, Dean,” he lied and quickly stifled a snicker. 

Dean scowled at his brother before his attention darted back to Jimmy. “Well?” he barked expectantly. 

Jimmy startled slightly at the abrupt bark and he scrambled to think of some of the things that he could remember Castiel thinking regarding the man before him. 

“Uh Castiel, he um, he likes your freckles,” Jimmy stammered nervously. 

Dean’s brow knitted incredulously, “He what?” 

A bark of laughter broke from Sam before he was able to contain it and quickly bury his face in his laptop screen. 

Jimmy swallowed hard, “And your lips,” he added. 

Dean lifted a hand, fingertips covering his bottom lip almost protectively as his eyes tightened while eying the man standing in front of him. 

“Well don’t look at _me_ like that,” Jimmy exclaimed, “I didn’t say it!”

Sam snickered, “Aw, Dean’s got a boyfriend,” he teased. 

Dean’s attention snapped to Sam and his eyes narrowed angrily, “Yeah? Well both of us can kick your ass, so shuddup, bitch,” he spat in annoyance. 

Looking back at Jimmy, Dean quirked a brow, “I can’t believe I’m asking this but, anything else?” 

“Your eyes,” Jimmy mumbled quickly lowering his gaze. 

“My…?” Dean started to echo only to stop himself and press his lips tightly together. 

“Sonuva… that damn angel ever comes back I’m gonna feel so damn awkward around his ass m’gonna have to wear a veil!” He spat incredulously. 

Another snicker broke from Sam, “Castiel thinks you’re pretty, Dean,” he taunted. 

Dean grit his teeth and jumped to his feet, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides, intent on crossing the room and knocking Sam backward out of his chair. 

“Uh, actually Castiel said some things about you too, Sam,” Jimmy remarked softly. 

Dean paused in his steps, his eyes widening as his gaze darted between Jimmy and Sam. His lips slowly curled into an amused smile and continued to grow wider the more Sam‘s eyes looked about to pop out of his head. 

“What, me!?!” Sam exclaimed incredulously, “How? Why? He’s Dean’s angel!” Sam argued. 

Dean cackled, “Aw, what’s the matter, Sammy?” He mocked. 

Sam shot his brother a dirty look, eyes tightened angrily, “This is all _your_ fault!” he accused. 

“Mine?” Dean inquired skeptically. 

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, “Only you could wind up with a horny angel.” 

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t make him that way!” Dean argued angrily. 

“That’s not _entirely_ true…” Jimmy interjected, brow creased thoughtfully. 

Dean gasped in an alarmed breath as his eyes widened and his attention darted to Jimmy. 

Sam’s eyes swung to Jimmy as well, his own eyes widening incredulously. 

Jimmy’s eyes darted between the two Winchesters sheepishly, “I sort of remember now why Castiel left,” he mumbled. 

Dean’s jaw clenched, muscle twitching, “You do? What is it? Where is he? What happened?” He demanded in rapid fire succession. 

Jimmy shook his head, “It…Castiel thinks of the two of you as belonging to him,” he explained. 

Dean looked from Jimmy to Sam, “Great, my angel thinks we’re his bitches,” he grumbled before returning his attention to Jimmy with a jut of his chin. 

“What else?” He urged. 

“With his feelings for the two of you…he…well, it’s a sin,” Jimmy explained as his eyes swung between Dean and Sam. 

“Wait a minute,” Dean muttered, brow creasing thoughtfully. “Did I just hear you tell me that Cas went home because he got a boner and he was embarrassed?” 

“Well not embarrassed exactly but…” Jimmy mumbled shyly. 

Dean’s gaze slid from Jimmy over to his brother and as their gazes met Dean shuddered exaggeratedly. 

“I feel so used and degraded,” he quipped sarcastically.

Sam rolled his eyes and huffed softly, “Yeah, _this_ makes you feel used and degraded,” he agreed sardonically, “Sure,” he muttered, “but the Scarborough triplets they had no part in making you feel that way.” 

“Dude, none of them got a boner watchin’ me, my lips, my eyes or my freckles,” Dean shot back. 

Sam’s brows rose as he gave a thoughtful shrug and a nod, “Ouch, touché.” 

“…The Hell, _freckles_!?” he inquired incredulously as his gaze shot accusingly to Jimmy. 

Jimmy shrugged and shook his head innocently, “He said something about little drops of manna from heaven…” 

“Oh God, I’m gonna be sick,” Dean groaned. 

Sam snickered which he quickly fought to stifle when his brother’s angry scowl darted his way. 

Dean turned away from Jimmy and lifted a hand, eyes closing briefly as he ran it down his face and heaved a heavy sigh. 

“I don’t think I wanna hear any more,” he mumbled, eyes widening incredulously as he reached for the blankets on the bed, flipping them back with one hand, “especially if I’m supposed to get some sleep and not wind up havin’ nightmares,” he concluded.

Jimmy’s brows rose and his lips curved down into a slight apologetic frown, “Sorry,” he muttered. 

“Yeah,” Dean muttered as he sat down on the side of the bed with a weary sigh and lifted a hand, wiping it downward over his mouth thoughtfully, “it’s not your fault,” he sighed and scooted back, swinging his legs up into the bed as he reached for the blankets and pulled them over himself. 

“If it makes ya feel any better, it hasn’t been easy having to hear all this on my end either,” Jimmy offered. 

Dean shook his head, “No, it doesn’t, not really,” he replied curtly. 

Jimmy sighed softly in defeat as he nodded and turned his attention to Sam who sat with his brows raised, shaking his head in agreement with his brother. 

Dean rolled onto his side and closed his eyes as he got comfortable in the bed once Jimmy paced away from the where he’d been standing nearby. 

Walking over to a window, Jimmy gazed out into the night and not for the first time since Castiel had left his body, he thought of his family. He hung his head with a dejected sigh unable to understand why it was that he couldn’t go see them, at least for a little while. After all, like he’d told both Dean and Sam, he didn’t know anything! Okay sure, so he remembered that Castiel had a little crush on his Charge and maybe his Charge’s brother, but so what? It wasn’t as if that small bit of nothing made a difference to anyone except maybe the two men he was stuck in this motel room with in the middle of nowhere. 

Lifting his brows curiously, Sam glanced back over his shoulder in search of Jimmy when the man didn’t come over to the table, “Hey, you kinda need to step away from the window,” he murmured, grimacing and offering an apologetic shrug when Jimmy turned around to stare at him incredulously. 

“Sorry, man,” Sam muttered as he turned back toward his laptop, shaking his head, “Gotta keep you safe.” 

Soon the only sound in the motel room came from Sam’s fingers punching the keys on his keyboard as he got caught up in a story he’d found, something that looked like a case he and his brother might need to look into once they’d figured out what to do with one Jimmy Novak. 

Standing with his back against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, Jimmy disgruntledly watched the two Winchesters awhile before huffing in irritation and turning his attention dismissively away from them and on to more pleasant things; memories that were slowly coming to him of his life as Jimmy Novak. He remembered his wife Amelia and the day they were married. He remembered how they’d both cried like fools and that she’d been upset that with all the tears she’d smeared her make-up. He remembered years later the birth of his daughter Claire; how tiny she’d been and how she’d grown into the prettiest little girl he’d ever seen. He remembered her long blond hair that was so like her mother’s and how she wore it in braids and pig tails and that she liked to wear that Love’s Baby Soft perfume. 

Tears stung his eyes as Jimmy mentally relived moments of his life, his arms slowly uncrossed and his hands slipped down into the pockets of the trench coat that he still wore. His brow creased and he sniffled softly as his head bowed when the fingers of one hand bumped into something hard inside one of the pockets, something he hadn’t noticed there before. He glanced up from under his brows, his gaze darting between Sam to Dean to be sure that neither of them were paying him any attention. Wrapping his fingers around the rectangle shaped object in his pocket, he slowly withdrew the item while keeping an eye on the two Winchesters. His eyes widened slightly in stupefaction when he saw that what he’d pulled out was a cell phone. His brow knitted a second later at the idea that an angel would actually need such a device. Deciding that it wasn’t his problem, Jimmy shook off the absurdity of that fact and quickly stuffed the cell back into his pocket before either of the Winchesters had the chance to catch him with it. Castiel might not have any use for a phone any longer, but Jimmy Novak did.. His lips curled gleefully; maybe this was a gift from Castiel after all. 

Pulling away from the wall, Jimmy crept forward toward where Dean lay snuggled under the blankets. Reaching the side of the bed, Jimmy leaned toward Dean in an attempt to see if the man was actually asleep or if he was only pretending to be. With a glance toward Sam to be certain that he wasn’t being watched, Jimmy reached out with one hand and waved it in front of Dean’s face. Satisfied that Dean truly was asleep when he got no response, Jimmy stepped quietly back and turned away from the bed. His gaze darted anxiously between the open bathroom door and Sam who still sat at the table clicking away at the keyboard. To reach the bathroom which was his goal he had to cross the room, walking directly past the younger Winchester. 

Drawing in a fortifying breath, Jimmy blew it out and strode purposefully across the room, right past Sam and into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself and locking it. He released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding once he was standing with his index and middle fingers gripping the small silver door lock after having thrown it into place. His hand trembled slightly as pulled it away from the lock and ran his sweaty palm down his side as he blew out a shaky breath. 

_Made it, he made it._

Sam glanced up from under his brows at the closed bathroom door, his hands pausing in mid-motion, still poised over the keys of his keyboard. His brow creased as he pondered Jimmy’s abrupt middle of the night trip to the bathroom but then after a thoughtful moment he disregarded it as nothing more than the man needing to take a leak after the long car ride they’d endured, not to mention the added time in which they’d been sitting around in here while Dean slept. With a small dismissive shrug of one shoulder, he returned his attention to the information he’d been busily researching online.

Turning his attention to his reflection in the mirror, Jimmy plunged his hand into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the cell phone inside. Pulling the phone from the pocket of his trench, Jimmy’s eyes slipped closed and his forehead creased deeply as he struggled to remember his phone number. 

“Eight-one-five…” he whispered under his breath. 

His eyes popped open wide with excitement as the other seven digits came to him. Quickly, he flipped open Castiel’s cell phone and punched in the numbers then pressed the cell up to his ear and waited anxiously as it rang on the other end.

“Come on, come on, pick up, pick up,” he whispered desperately. 

“Hello?” A woman’s voice answered. 

Jimmy’s lips parted as his breath caught in his throat, his chest aching, feeling as though all the oxygen had suddenly been sucked out of the room at the sound of his wife’s voice on the other end of the line.

Tears sprang to his eyes and it took him another minute, as he gulped in air before he was able to form a coherent word. 

“Amelia?” he murmured hoarsely. 

“Who…?” Amelia began only to gasp in a soft breath, “Who is this?” she inquired softly, her voice trembling. 

Jimmy swallowed hard and pressed his lips tightly together in an effort to stifle the sob that burned at the back of his throat. He blinked back his tears and hung his head as he squeezed his eyes closed and sniffled softly. Lifting his head he licked his lips and blew out a soft breath. 

“It - it’s me, honey, it’s Jimmy,” he replied gently. 

“Jimmy?” Amelia murmured in stupefaction, tears in her voice. “We thought you were dead,” she whispered brokenly. 

“I know, I know but I’m back and it’s okay now,” Jimmy hushed gently. 

“Jimmy where have you been? Where are you?” Amelia questioned anxiously. 

“It - It’s a long story and you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Jimmy replied with a shake of his head Amelia couldn’t see. 

“I - I’m with some friends right now, honey---” Jimmy began to explain. 

“And those _friends_ wouldn’t by chance be the Winchesters would they?” a female voice Jimmy didn’t know interrupted on the other end of the line. 

Jimmy frowned, brow creased in confusion, “Who is this?” he demanded. 

The woman on the other end of the line laughed wickedly, “Just the one who’s going to gut your wife.” 

Jimmy’s eyes widened, “No,” he gasped softly. 

“Don’t you touch her!” he barked into the phone. “You keep your filthy hands off of her!” 

“You watch your mouth, Jimmy,” the woman snapped. 

“You wouldn’t want my friend; Rocky to get too friendly with that pretty little daughter of yours would you? He might just have to rip out her heart while she watches,” the woman sneered. 

“Don’t you touch them!” Jimmy yelled, “Don’t you touch my family!” he warned. 

He reached angrily for the bathroom door handle and threw back the lock then twisted the knob, tugging the door open with enough force that it banged loudly against the wall behind it. 

With the loud crash Dean jerked awake in the bed, his eyes popping blearily open at the same moment that Sam’s head snapped up. The younger Winchester’s startled, wide eyed gaze moved from the computer screen to his brother who was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes back toward the bathroom just in time to watch as Jimmy stormed determinedly out, a cell phone pressed to his ear and his attention fixed on the motel room door. 

Sam sprang to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process and stepped out, blocking Jimmy’s path to the door. 

“Whoa, whoa, wait,” Sam demanded as he reached out, pressing a hand against the other man’s chest in an effort to still his progress. 

Dean’s brow creased incredulously from where he sat in the bed, his gaze darting back and forth between Sam and Jimmy. 

_What the…? And people wonder why I never get any sleep,_ he thought irritatedly as he threw back the covers in annoyance. 

“Get out of my way, Sam,” Jimmy commanded softly. 

“No, not until you tell me what’s going on. Who is that you’re talking to? You’re not even supposed to be _on_ the phone,” Sam retorted. 

“Sam, get out of the way!” Jimmy yelled angrily and tried to shove past the younger Winchester. 

Dean’s brows rose as he climbed out of the bed and he might have snickered at the sight of Jimmy trying to push past his giant of a brother had he not already been thoroughly pissed off. 

Sam widened his stance and planted his feet, becoming a veritable wall that Jimmy couldn’t get past. Reaching out with one hand as Jimmy struggled to find a way past him, Sam plucked the cell phone right out of Jimmy’s hand. 

“Hello?” he said as he held it up to his ear. 

“Well, if it isn’t Sam Winchester. Do I bow or do I curtsy?” the demon on the other end of the line mocked. 

“Neither, if you value your existence I’d take a one way ticket back to hell if I were you,” Sam growled.

The demon on the other end of the line chuckled in amusement, “Sorry, afraid I can’t do that,” she mused dryly, “At least not until you hand over that vessel.” 

“Vessel?” Sam inquired, brow creasing and lip curling in feigned innocent confusion as he glanced over at Jimmy. 

“Yeah, Sammy, the vessel. You know, bigger than a bread box,” she quipped. 

Brow knitted incredulously, Dean stepped up between Jimmy and his brother, his inquisitive gaze swinging away from Jimmy to land on his brother as he lifted his brows, his focus centering in on the phone in Sam’s hand and the conversation his brother was having with whoever it was on the other end of the line, although he could pretty well guess _what_ it was Sam was talking to. 

“Funny,” Sam muttered dryly, “And if you know who I am then you already know my answer.” 

“So I’ve heard,” the demons sighed exaggeratedly, “always have to do things the hard way.” 

Sam huffed softly, his eyes meeting Dean’s, “Yeah well, you know us,” he replied. 

A muscle in Dean’s jaw twitched as his eyes darted away from his brother over to Jimmy pointedly before returning to Sam; the silent question of if it was a demon asking for Castiel’s vessel hanging between them. Lips pressed tightly together in a firm line, Sam gave a curt nod in reply to his brother and looked back at Jimmy, his nostrils flaring as he drew in a breath, eyes closing briefly in exasperation. 

“Make sure you explain your decision to Jimmy there after we’ve gutted his family,” she responded smugly just before the phone went dead in Sam’s ear. 

“Shit,” Sam swore as he pulled the phone from his ear. 

Dean’s eyes darted from his brother to the cell and back, “Well? What happened?” He urged. 

“The bitch hung up on me,” Sam mumbled. 

“Hung up on…” Jimmy muttered and reached out, grappling with Sam for possession of the cell. 

“That’s my family they’re holding!” Jimmy yelled anxiously.

He refused to release the phone to Sam, his stubborn gaze meeting and locking with the younger Winchester’s. 

Dean’s brow furrowed irritatedly and he shook his head in annoyance as he took a step closer to his brother and Jimmy, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a damn minute,” him spat and reached out with one hand, snatching the cell phone away from them both. 

He rounded on Jimmy, lips pressed into an angry line, nostrils flared and eyes tightened as he scowled, “You called your family!?” he snarled. 

Jimmy huffed and turned his gaze away a moment before looking back with a raised brow as he gave a small nod. 

“Are you that stupid!? After everything we told you, you go and call ’em anyway. Where the hell’d you even get the phone?” Dean roared. 

“It was in the pocket…” Jimmy muttered as he touched a hand to the pocket of his trench coat. 

Dean’s eyes lowered to Jimmy’s hand pressed to the side of the trench and they widened incredulously, “The coat,” he accused. “You got it out of the pocket of the trench coat!?” he growled. 

Clenching his teeth, a muscle twitched in Dean’s jaw as he shook his head, “You really are a piece of work, Jimmy,” he grumbled sardonically with a roll of his eyes. “It’s no wonder Cas picked you, neither one of you know how to stay outta trouble,” he spat irritatedly.

“Dean,” Sam warned softly. 

“What Sam?” Dean snapped, “What, did you bump your head while I was asleep and suddenly get a severe case of stupid? You know as well as I do what an idiotic move that was,” he growled. 

Sam huffed and pressed his lips into a thin line as he eyed Dean in annoyance, “Yeah, we know but Jimmy doesn’t. Yeah, I know we told him, but he’s had what, a whole day to get use to what we’ve dealt with our whole lives? Cut the man a little slack, man.” 

Jimmy’s eyes darted between the two before he heaved a heavy sigh, “Look, I just wanted to talk to my family. I didn’t think that it would be that horrible to make a simple phone call…” 

Dean returned his attention to Jimmy with a huff and shook his head. Lifting a hand he closed his eyes and ran it down his face, reopening his eyes as his hand fell away to his side. 

“If they were there when Jimmy called then they’ve been waiting for him,” Dean mumbled. 

Sam nodded, “Probably since the moment Cas left his body.”

Dean gave a grunt of acknowledgement, “And now that they have an idea where he is, they’ll be comin’ for him,” he surmised with a sigh as he hung his head and lifted a hand, cupping his mouth and wiping his hand downward across it. 

His brows lifted as his hand fell away and he looked up at Sam from under his brows, “We gotta get him outta here,” he remarked decisively. 

Sam gave a small nod, “We also need to check on his family,” he replied, “best plan is to split up, one of us take Jimmy and head for Bobby’s, and the other head for Pontiac,” he suggested even though he hated the idea. 

Dean’s nostrils flared as he pressed his lips together in a grim line and nodded, “Yeah,” he sighed in annoyance, “Yeah alright,” he agreed. 

“You take Jimmy and head for Bobby’s, I’ll go to Pontiac,” directed Dean. 

Sam sighed, unsurprised by his brother’s decision, his own lips pulled into a thin line and his eyes narrowed with the temptation to challenge Dean the same way that he would have if it’d been their Dad. Only the look of sheer panicked worry on Jimmy’s face as his eyes darted anxiously between them kept Sam from questioning or demanding a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine their individual destinations. 

Dean’s brows knitted in perturbed annoyance, “What?” he barked. 

Sam shook his head disgruntledly, “Nothin’,” he huffed softly. 

“Come on, Jimmy, let’s get outta here,” Sam mumbled as he turned and headed back toward the table and his laptop. 

“What?” Jimmy interjected, “No, wait, I should be the one to go, it’s my family they’re holding!” 

“Jimmy, it’s a trap, there’s no way we’re gonna let you go there,” Dean snapped.

Sam sighed, “Dean’s right, Jimmy, there’s nothing’ you could do. Let Dean handle it, he won’t let anything happen to your family,” he urged gently. 

Jimmy’s concerned and fearful gaze darted between the two Winchesters before he finally sighed in resignation as he hung his head and nodded.

Dean followed his brother and Jimmy out of the motel once they’d gotten directions to Jimmy’s home from the man and Sam packed his computer back into its carrying case, the strap slung over one shoulder. They cautiously made their way into the parking lot and moved nonchalantly amongst the other vehicles in the lot. 

“Wait, wait, we’re stealing a car?” Jimmy asked incredulously. 

Dean scowled at Jimmy, “Unless you wanna walk all the way to Bobby’s, yeah,” he replied sarcastically, with a nod of his head, his brows lifted pointedly. 

Sam huffed at his brother and Jimmy bickering and turned his attention to the gold 2004 Toyota Camry parked at the end of the row of rooms. 

“Got one,” he called, voice in a low whisper. 

He pulled out a straightened coat hanger he held hidden inside the front of his jacket. With a wary glance around the lot, he quickly inserted one end of the hanger between the car door and the window, wiggling it in an attempt to pop the lock. 

Dean jerked his head to the side toward Sam in a silent message for Jimmy to go to his brother. Dean ducked out from behind the car that he and Jimmy had been behind when Jimmy stepped out and began crossing the distance between them and Sam. Dean’s gun was drawn and at the ready as he followed after the man and kept an eye out for anyone or anything that might pop out and make try for Jimmy. 

After pulling the coat hanger free of the car door once he’d managed to unlock it, Sam tugged the door open and looked back over his shoulder having heard what sounded like Jimmy and his brother drawing closer.

Tucking his pistol into the waistband of the back of his jeans, Dean looked from Sam’s face down to the car and back, “You got it?”

Sam shrugged, frowning thoughtfully as he shrugged, “Yeah, sure.” 

“Jimmy, you wanna,” Sam motioned for Jimmy to go around to the other side and get in. 

Frowning his disgruntlement at stealing a car, Jimmy sighed heavily in resignation and nodded before hurrying around to the other side of the car. He tugged the door open, slipped into the front seat, reaching immediately for the seat belt.

Dean chuckled softly and shook his head as he looked from Jimmy to Sam. 

“Somebody’s gotta pull the stick outta his ass,” he quipped sarcastically. “And I thought Cas was bad,” he mumbled, shaking his head. 

Sam’s lips twitched upward into a slight smirk although he didn’t encourage his brother’s behavior; instead he merely shook his head with a sigh and turned toward the car, slipping the strap of his laptop bag from his shoulder. He stashed it carefully in the back seat before sliding into the car behind the wheel where he slouched down and tugged out two wires. He struck the two against one another, once, twice, again and finally the engine started. Sam tucked the wires back up and with a grin turned his attention to Dean. Their gazes locked and concern for the other shone within the depths of their eyes despite the forced smiles they offered one another. 

“So, you be careful,” Dean instructed with a nod and reached for the car door, winging it closed for Sam. 

Sam nodded, “Yeah, you too,” he murmured. “Call me and let me know,” he shrugged a shoulder, “Ya know.”

Dean nodded, “Yeah,” he murmured softly, “you too,” he agreed.

Sam turned his attention to the interior of the car and reached for the gear shift, putting it in reverse before returning his attention to Dean. 

Dean took a step back from the vehicle and gave his brother a curt nod, “Take care’a yourself, Sammy,” he whispered under his breath as he watched his brother back the car out of the parking space and head toward the exit of the lot. 

Turning once the Toyota’s taillights had disappeared into the distance, Dean turned and made his way over to the Impala. Digging the key out of the front pocket of his jeans, he reached for the car door handle and tugged it open, comforted by the familiar creak and groan of its hinges. Sliding in behind the wheel, Dean inserted the key into the ignition and slammed the car door closed. Starting the car, he threw it into reverse and backed out of the parking space, turning the car toward the motel exit he pulled out of the lot and onto the main road, heading for Pontiac and Jimmy’s family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy Novak allowed himself to be used as the vessel for an angel named Castiel. One night Castiel abruptly leaves him and Jimmy is left to deal with the aftermath and the knowledge of things he never wanted to know and that his frail human body can not take. When demons hear of the newly emptied vessel they come for it, attacking not only Jimmy but the Winchester boys. During the brawl Dean Winchester is kidnapped and Jimmy must once again call on the angel that had once used him as a vessel. He offers himself up so that Castiel can rescue Dean for a price; he wants only two things. One, to be allowed the release of death now so that he can be free to go to Heaven and two, a promise that Castiel will see to it that his human family is never harmed. If the angel agrees he can have Jimmy’s body forever, save his beloved Dean Winchester and never have to worry about the human spirit that once dwelt within.

Dean parked the Impala in a church playground parking lot a block away from the small picturesque neighborhood in which the Novak house was located. He crept through the scenic little subdivision, keeping low and to the shadows as to not be seen or draw attention to himself. 

He crouched down opposite a tall row of bushes along the outside perimeter of Jimmy’s yard, close enough where he could see in through the windows but not close enough that he could be easily spotted. He watched while three different figures paced back and forth past the window. 

“Lucky three, eh?” Dean whispered to himself. 

With another scan of the immediate area, he quickly darted out from behind the bushes he was behind and ducked instead behind a large red van that was parked in the side yard. He crouched with his back pressed against the rusted metal, feet hidden by the tires. He leaned slowly to the side and peered around the back of the van into the yard, searching for anyone or anything he might have missed before. 

With all of their dealings with demons Dean and Sam had learned that it was pretty typical of them to put a light guard on their captives when they were expecting company to act as a lure for the would be rescuer, which meant that these sonsabitches must either be expecting Jimmy or he and Sam or hell, maybe all three of them. 

Pulling back, Dean leaned his head back against the side of the van as he took in a fortifying breath. Lifting his head from the side of the vehicle, he glanced toward the back yard while reaching into the front inside pocket of his jacket. His fingers curled tightly around the hilt of Ruby’s knife as he withdrew it and he blew out a hot breath before turning and creeping along the side of the van toward the back yard. 

Pausing and crouching down next to the front fender of the van, Dean leaned forward and peered around the front of the vehicle at the house and into one of the small curtain enshrouded windows. Glancing warily toward the front yard once again, his eyes tightened suspiciously at the obvious lack of extra players on the enemy’s team. He might not be able to locate them visually but he knew the Calvary was around here somewhere. He pulled back, ducking down behind the fender, shoulder and side of his back pressed against it.

“Sonuvabitch,” he growled irritatedly under his breath. 

Turning to face the back of the house he squinted his eyes as he searched the back yard which was devoid of any lights unlike the front of the house. Turning again, he stretched forward and turned his head, his attention once more on the front of the house as he scanned the perimeter for any sign of immediate danger. His jaw was set in a firm line as he scoffed irritatedly and his teeth clenched, nostrils flaring in frustration when again he saw nothing but an empty yet well manicured yard. 

“Screw it,” he spat under his breath. 

Turning his attention to the back yard once more, he ducked from behind the van and ran around to the back of the house, crouching down quickly in front of the back door. Shifting his weight on his toes, Dean lowered one knee briefly, effectively turning his body slightly as he tucked Ruby’s knife under his belt. He shifted again and lifted his knee, his body turning once again toward the door. Reaching purposefully into his coat pocket, he pulled out his lock picks and swiftly proceeded to pick the door lock. 

A few moments later as the lock clicked softly open, he tore his attention away from the door and his head pivoted, searching the darkened yard for any signs of trouble. Seeing only an empty back yard, Dean returned his focus to the door lock and withdrew the lock picks, tucking them back into his jacket pocket. Reaching for Ruby’s knife where it was tucked at his hip, he pulled it from under his belt as he rose to his full height and reached with his free hand for the door knob. After another wary glance in each direction he lowered his gaze to the door knob and as he caught his bottom lip between his teeth, brow knitting in concentration, he began to carefully turn it. 

The door gave as the latch pulled from the wall and Dean’s lip slipped from between his teeth, his brows lifting just slightly as his gaze darted quickly up from the knob to the small crack between the edge of the door and the jamb. Taking a step closer to the door, he quickly glanced back over his shoulder before turning his attention back. Leaning closer, he cautiously peered in around the corner of the door as he slowly began pushing it open. He cracked the door open just wide enough to cautiously thread his body through before easing it closed behind him as quietly as possible. 

Releasing the handle, Dean pivoted bodily away from the door, warily taking note of his surroundings and the fact that he now stood in the Novak’s kitchen. Though an archway that led into the living room section of the house Dean spotted Amelia and Claire bound to chairs sitting in the center of the room as well as the demons he’d seen pacing in front of the windows from outside. 

Glancing to the side he spotted an island counter/cabinet combo and quickly ducked down behind it. He leaned to one side, peering past the edge of the island and cautiously appraised the situation playing out in the next room. Pulling away from the side of the island he swung his gaze away from the demons, one brow quirking as the dishes next to the sink, drying in the dish drain caught Dean’s attention. With another glance toward the living room to be sure the demons weren’t looking, Dean turned his attention back toward the sink and crept out from his hiding place. He crossed the distance between the island and the sink as swiftly and silently as possible and once he stood in front of the sink, he reached for one of the plates with his free hand, pulling it carefully from the strainer. 

Plate in one hand, Ruby’s knife still held securely in the other, Dean darted back behind the island and crouched down, pressing his back up against the pristine white painted wood. His brows rose as he turned his head and lifted his gaze, peering curiously over the top of the counter area. Satisfied that no one was watching, Dean straightened and threw the plate toward the center of the kitchen floor, well away from himself, shattering it against the ceramic tiles. 

Dean’s lips curved into a wide grin and a silent bemused chuckle escaped him when he heard the demons arguing over who was going to check out the source of the noise. A moment later the movement of a shadowy figure on the wall directly in front of Dean caught his eye and had him tightening his fingers around the hilt of the Ruby’s knife as he prepared for company. Taking his gaze partly off the wall, he leaned toward the edge of the island and peered around it, his gaze darted between the entrance to the kitchen and the shadow on the wall, watching as the figure drew closer. He straightened once again and kept his attention fixed on the shadows movement upon the wall. He waited until the shadow had shortened and he heard the first clop of boots against the tile floor before he leaned to the side, gazing around the end of the island. 

The corner of his lips quirked upward into a droll smirk as he watched the stocky bald headed demon storm irritatedly the remainder of the way into the center of the kitchen, stopping in front of the shards of china scattered across the ceramic tiles. Swiftly rising to his full height, with his teeth clenched and jaw set at a determined angle, Dean lifted Ruby’s knife in one hand, poised to strike and crossed the distance between himself and the demon standing over the broken dish. Just before he had a chance to plunge the knife between the demon’s shoulder blades, the thing turned around and reached for Dean. Just as the demon closed his hand around Dean’s throat, Dean dropped his fist in which he held Ruby’s knife and with an upward jab stabbed the demon in the throat. 

Once the demon was dead, Dean yanked the knife out of the guy’s neck causing the body to instantly crumple to the floor. He started to turn back toward the island only to wind up staggering back from the force of impact due to the punch that connected with his jaw. His back slammed into the breakfast table behind him sending Ruby’s knife flying from his hand and skittering across the floor. Dean’s eyes tightened angrily as his gaze centered on the husky demon who’d thrown the punch. He pushed away from the table and he pulled back a fisted hand, throwing his own hard punch, hitting the demon square in the face. 

The demon stumbled backward due to the force of impact from Dean’s fist connecting with the thing’s face and its back slammed into the side of the island’s counter. His lip curled with contempt as he glared at Dean and pulled himself from away from the counter. He lunged at Dean only to stop short in his attack as his eyes brows rose and his eyes widened just marginally in surprise. A smug and wicked grin curled his lips as his eyes tracked the movement of Dean’s body, watching as the hunter crumpled unconscious to the floor in a heap. His smile widened and became more sinister as his attention lifted to the demon standing behind the now comatose hunter having snuck in through the back door just the way Dean had previously done. 

Sighing wearily as though she were quite put upon by having to deal with any of this, her gaze lowered to the fallen hunter, the female demon handed off the iron pipe she had used to bash Dean in the head with, passing it to the demon that had entered with her and now stood at her side. 

“Get him up and tie him over with the others,” she commanded, lifting her eyes to the demon that had been fighting with Dean moments before.

“Maybe now that we‘ve got Dean Winchester, Sam’ll be more inclined to bargain,” she mused. 

“And if not, we’ll just kill him,” she concluded with a shrug of indifference.

Bobby sat silently, his gaze intermitantly darting between Sam and Jimmy as he listened to Sam explain how he and Dean had awoken to the radiant light filling the motel room. He went on to explain that what he and Dean had found as they’d checked things out was that Castiel had high tailed it out of Jimmy’s meat suit, the reason exactly they still weren‘t completely clear about. He told Bobby what he was sure the elder hunter had already guessed which was that Castiel’s abrupt departure now left his empty vessel vulnerable to demon attack. Sam explained how when they’d asked Jimmy if he remembered anything he’d said that he remembered that he had a family and upon remembering he’d immediately wanted to go to them. 

Bobby’s gaze swung to Jimmy at that point and he eyed the man silently for a moment. 

“Family?” He questioned, “Does that mean you got any kids?” he drawled. 

Jimmy nodded, his gaze lowered dejectedly, “I have a daughter, her name is Claire,” he replied softly. 

“Claire,” Bobby echoed thoughtfully. “’S a pretty name,” he offered with a small tight lipped smile. 

Jimmy glanced up and returned the gesture with a nod, “Thank you,” he murmured gently. 

Everyone in the room was silent another moment before Sam cleared his throat, his brows lifting as he gazed curiously at Bobby as though asking the man whether or not he should continue. The elder hunter nodded as his lips turned down in a thoughtful frown. 

Sam nodded and he glanced at Jimmy briefly; his tongue nervously darting out, licking across his lips as he returned his attention to Bobby. He explained how for obvious reasons he and Dean had told Jimmy he couldn’t go see his family and then he went on to explain about the phone call and how he and Dean had decided that the best course of action was that they split up, one of them taking Jimmy here, where he’d be safe and the other heading to Pontiac to take out the demons holding Jimmy’s wife and daughter. 

“So, I take it Dean hasn’t checked in with you?” Sam concluded. 

Bobby shook his head, “Nope, this is the first I heard tell about any’a this,” he replied. 

“Shit,” Sam swore softly. 

Jimmy’s eyes widened in alarm as his gaze lifted and he shot up out of his chair, quickly standing to his feet, his eyes darting anxiously between Sam and Bobby. 

“My family,” he exclaimed, “Does this mean those demons are gonna kill them?” 

Sam pulled calmly to his feet as he shook his head, his attention on the highly distraught man next to him, “No, Jimmy, it doesn’t mean anything, not yet,” he soothed. 

“Son, there ain’t a better hunter out there to be lookin’ after your family than Dean,” Bobby reassured. 

“What we gotta try to do,” Bobby continued as his gaze swung from Jimmy to Sam, “is get a hold’a Dean.”

Dean groaned low in his throat due to the pain that throbbed at the back of his head as the black of unconsciousness slowly gave way to shades of red and blue, consciousness gradually creeping in and taking over. He lifted his head from where it had been tilted severely back and his lashes fluttered as his eyes blinked open. His brow furrowed in disgruntlement as he realized that he was bound wrist and ankle to the chair in which he sat and there was a handkerchief gag tied securely in his mouth. It took another couple minutes before he noticed the strange wires that ran from the large battery that sat on the end table next to him over to different areas of his body, around his ears and the backs of his fisted hands to name just two which were easily visible. His face was contorted with contempt as Dean lifted his gaze to the demons in the room and bit into the cloth in his mouth, growling angrily against the gag. 

His gaze trailed after one of the demons, the one Dean had been fighting before his world had gone dark; he watched the thing smile wickedly at him as it approached and took a seat on a nearby stool, just on the other side of the end table from him. His nostrils flared as his breaths quickened just slightly and his fingers curled anxiously into tight fists while he watched the demon purposefully reach toward the battery. Grasping the leads that came from the wires attached to Dean’s body, the demon touched them to the corresponding terminals on the battery, either positive or negative. 

The curled fingers of Dean’s hands, tightened into white knuckled fists and his teeth clenched tightly together, a tortured growl tearing from his throat. His face flushed a deep scarlet and his eyes squeezed tightly closed as he began to scream against the gag in agony. His head fell back and his muscles tensed, the tendons in his neck protruding. 

Across the room from Dean, tears ran unchecked down Claire’s cheeks and she cringed away from the sound of his pain filled screams while Amelia choked back a sob and closed her tear dampened eyes, turning her head away from the sight.

The demon controlling the electrocution pulled the leads off their respective terminals and the excruciating pain ceased, leaving Dean’s body limp and sore. His head fell weakly forward and softly whimpered grunts sounded against the gag in his mouth as his chest heaved with each of his panted breaths. 

_Sonuvabitch…_

Jimmy reached into the pocket of the trench coat only to scoff irritably as he withdrew his hand and shake his head. 

“Dean took my cell,” he complained. 

Sam’s lips quirked upward into a soft smirk as he pulled out his own cell, “It’s alright, I got it,” he assured.

Scrolling down his contact list, Sam stopped on Dean’s name and pressing the speed dial button. Lifting the cell to his ear, Sam waited for Dean to pick up the phone. 

“C’mon, c’mon, Dean, pick up,” he mumbled under his breath as it rang past four times. 

Dean’s voice mail clicked on and Sam sighed irritatedly, “Dammit, Dean,” he muttered nearly under his breath. 

Pulling his cell from his ear, Sam shook his head as he looked from Jimmy to Bobby, “I couldn’t get him,” he confessed. 

“Try Castiel’s phone?” Jimmy suggested. 

Sam shrugged, frowning thoughtfully, “Couldn’t hurt,” he agreed and scrolled down his preset cell numbers to Castiel’s prepaid cell number. 

Jimmy watched Sam as he nervously paced within the small area, fearful that something had happened to the wife and daughter he had left so long ago, because an angel had asked him to. 

“Please, Castiel, you promised,” he muttered under his breath. 

Sam wasn’t surprised that the angel’s phone rang for quite a while; if his brother hadn’t answered his own cell it was a stretch to believe that he would answer Castiel’s. 

Just as he’d been about to hang up, Sam heard the call get picked up even though no one spoke for a moment. 

Having ignored the ringing of the first cell phone as it lay on the coffee table, the demon snatched up the phone when it rang, answering it immediately. She’d already looked at the screen to see who it was that was calling each time and seeing it was Sam, she had decided to have a little fun torturing little Sammy Winchester, allowing him to wonder what had become of his big brother. 

“Sam,” the demon purred, “and here I’d started to think you didn’t like me and yet _you_ keep calling.”

“Where is he?” Sam growled, “Where’s my brother?”

“Oh he’s here,” she assured, “Would you like to hear him?” she asked innocently. 

“Put him on the phone,” Sam said through gritted teeth. 

“He’s a little tied up right now,” she replied with a snicker, “But for you, I’ll hold it near him.” 

The demon bitch turned from where she’d been standing, her eyes meeting those of the male demon next to Dean. With a wicked smirk she gave a slight nod before slowly walking over to the elder Winchester. She stepped around behind him and untied the gag, pulling it from his mouth. 

Grabbing a handful of his hair, she jerked his head back, “Watch your fuckin’ mouth,” she warned before shoving his head up again. 

Defiantly jerking his head even further away from her, Dean flexed his jaw and licked his lips now that he didn’t have the cloth in his way. Drawing in a deep breath he blew it out and his throat convulsed as he swallowed then sucked his bottom lip into his mouth briefly before releasing it. 

The demon next to the battery prepared to place the leads back against the appropriate terminals as the female demon placed the phone against Dean’s ear. 

Dean’s attention slid to the demon sitting next to the battery, warily watching each movement he made with the leads. 

“Talk,” She snapped. “I’d strongly suggest you tell him to give us that vessel, that is unless you want to wind up extra crispy,” she sneered. 

Dean swallowed again and cleared his throat softly, “Sammy,” Dean rasped weakly. 

“Dean?” Sam inquired, his brow knitting in confusion at the way his brother sounded. 

_What the hell did they do to him?_

“Yeah, Sam,” Dean muttered. “Did you…did you get that bottle of whisky to Bobby okay?” 

“It’s okay, Dean,” Sam replied. “Just hang in there; I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“You just drink that whiskey with Bobby,” Dean snorted, “Can’t let somethin’ like that go to waste.” 

“I will, and we’ll save a glass for you,” Sam responded. 

“Heh, you’re such a bitch,” Dean muttered, a faint smirk causing the corners of his lips to twitch upward just slightly.

The demon skank angrily pulled the phone away from Dean’s ear and lifted it to her own.

“Since Dean can’t seem to follow instructions I am going to tell you only once, bring us the vessel or else we’ll kill your brother,” she snapped. “That clear enough for you?”

The demon bitch nodded to the other demon who sat next to the battery and Dean’s eyes widened. 

“No,” he growled, struggling against the ropes that held him, “don’t you even fuckin’ think about it,” he growled. 

Despite Dean’s demands to the contrary, the leads were placed against the corresponding terminals. 

His teeth clenched so tightly it was a wonder that Dean wasn’t breaking any and his face rapidly began to flush a deep scarlet, the tendons in his neck protruding as he struggled not to cry out from the torture. His body began to tremble violently and he growled out his pain, eyes squeezing tightly closed. His head fell back and his nostrils flared just before the first cry of agony tore from his throat. 

The lips of the demon on the phone with Sam slowly curved into a smug smile, “Now about that vessel…” 

“I’ll bring you a vessel, you just make sure you keep my brother alive until he gets there or the deal’s off,” Sam spat. 

“Very good, Sam,” she praised. “Now just make sure you come through with your end of the deal,” she sneered and pulled the phone from her ear, hanging it up. 

She nodded to the other demon next to Dean and the guy pulled the leads away from the battery terminals allowing Dean a little bit of peace and relaxation before the next time the bastards got bored came around.

“I gotta head to Pontiac,” said Sam as he started toward the door. 

Jimmy intercepted him, placing both hands on Sam’s chest to stop him, “Why? What happened? What’d Dean say? Is my family alright?” He asked fearfully in rapid fire succession. 

Sam huffed and lifted a hand running it through his hair, “Jimmy, I don’t have time for this, they’ve got Dean and…” He sighed heavily in exasperation. 

“I don’t know about your family, Jimmy, I just know that they said they’re going to kill Dean if I don’t bring them the vessel,” Sam explained. 

“Me,” Jimmy murmured. It wasn’t a question. 

“I’m going with you,” Jimmy informed him.

Sam’s eyes widened incredulously, “What?” he shook his head, “No,” he retorted, “No way, you’re staying here where you’re safe.”

“I thought you had to bring them a vessel,” Jimmy responded. 

“I do,” Sam agreed with a shrug of one shoulder, “I was planning on taking them me.” 

“Sam, please,” Jimmy implored, “This is my family. How would you feel if someone said you couldn’t go help save your family?” 

Sam sighed heavily in resignation and turned his head, looking over at Bobby as though pleading for help only to have the elder hunter shrug his shoulders as his brows lifted. 

“If he wants to go…” Bobby muttered. 

Sam hung his head in defeat before he nodded as he lifted it, his gaze meeting Jimmy’s, “Alright, fine,” he sighed.

Oddly enough Sam managed to find where Dean had parked the Impala, a block away from the Novak’s home in the church playground parking lot. He parked the ’81 Ford Cobra that Bobby had loaned him next to her and he and Jimmy hurriedly climbed out of the vehicle. 

“Alright if we’re gonna do this, you need to do what I say and stay out of sight,” Sam muttered as he looked across the roof the car at Jimmy. 

Jimmy pressed his lips together in a thin line and his brow creased thoughtfully before he glanced away toward the playground with a softly sighed, “Yeah…” 

He returned his attention to Sam and he pensively searched the younger Winchester’s face for a long moment, “Could you…could you just gimme a minute?” he asked hesitantly. 

Turning away from Sam, jaw clenched with determination, Jimmy headed off toward the playground without bothering to wait for an answer to his question. 

Sam’s brow creased and his head tilted slightly in confusion, uncertain what it was that Jimmy needed a second for. His lips parted incredulously as he watched Jimmy turn and start walking away from the car toward the playground. 

_What the hell…?_

“Jimmy we don’t have time for this,” Sam retorted. 

“Make time,” Jimmy responded without bothering to stop or look back. 

Turning toward the direction Jimmy had taken off in, Sam huffed in frustration before pursing his lips together indignantly as he shifted his weight.

_Dammit, Jimmy…_

Jimmy wasn’t paying any attention to Sam however, his mind was on the one thing that he knew could solve all of this, had promised him long ago that his family would never be harmed. All he had to do was remind him of that promise and make him listen, make him come back. 

Marching into the center of the playground, Jimmy turned his attention heavenward. 

“Castiel, I know you can hear me! You promised you were going to take care of my family! You promised they’d be safe! Castiel, you promised!” he shouted at the heavens, pointing toward the sky and gesturing wildly in his anger and desperation. 

When there was nothing, no instantaneous infilling of the angel, no voices from heaven, nothing at all but deafening silence, Jimmy hung his head in defeat, his breaths panting softly out due to all of the desperate shouting. 

“I gave you everything, Castiel,” Jimmy muttered hoarsely as he shook his head, tears burning at the corners of his eyes. “I gave you all that you asked for and more,” he murmured. 

“All I’d ever asked for in return was that you take care of my family… and now I’m only asking that you keep your promise, Castiel. And - and let me die, let me go to heaven… and then you can have this body forever, Castiel, ” he muttered. 

“If you won’t keep your promises to me, what about Dean?” he challenged. 

“The one person who might have been able to save my family and now they’ve got him too,” he mumbled to himself before tilting his face toward the sky once more. 

“If you love him, Castiel, you need to save him. And don’t pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Jimmy murmured softly. 

Lowering his gaze he turned, looking around the playground as though he might find Castiel somewhere amongst the swing sets or monkey bars. Instead he was only met with the dark stillness of night punctuated by the occasional chirp of crickets. 

“I should have known,” he muttered disgustedly under his breath. 

Jimmy huffed in frustration and shook his head as he turned and angrily stormed back toward Sam. 

Sam’s brows lifted curiously as Jimmy walked back up, “Can we go now?” he inquired as he eyed the man.

Jimmy glanced at Sam and nodded, “Yeah, I dunno what I was thinking,” he sighed disappointedly. 

Sam eyed Jimmy a moment longer before giving a nod and motioning for the man to follow him. They crept through the small cookie cutter subdivision, staying low and keeping to the shadows, just the way Dean had done when he’d made his way closer to the Novak’s home. Crouching down behind a row of thick tall bushes out front of the Novak property, they peered toward the house and into the windows. Sam huffed irritatedly at the fact that from the looks of things there seemed to be at least six demons inside the house. 

“Shit,” he swore softly. 

Seeing that many in the house, he knew there was likely more where they came from, which meant bringing Jimmy was definitely a bad idea. 

“I’ve got a plan,” Jimmy suddenly stated as he turned his head and looked unflinchingly over at Sam. 

Sam gaped and his mouth moved incredulously but no sound came out at first, “You what? No,” he argued stubbornly as he shook his head, “No, uh-uh, Dean’s gonna have my ass for bringing you as it is.” 

“Just follow my lead,” Jimmy responded. 

Turning his attention from Sam to the house, Jimmy pulled from his hiding spot and started toward it as though Sam hadn’t just said anything at all. 

Sam’s eyed widened in stupefaction, “Follow your…?” Sam muttered incredulously. “Jimmy,” he called as he quickly lunged for the man, intent on pulling him back behind the bushes, “Get back here!” 

Much to the Winchester’s dismay, he missed Jimmy by a mile and only managed to stagger forward after the man. His eyes widened as he watched Jimmy head straight for the front door of his house. 

“So much for the element of surprise,” Sam muttered sardonically under his breath. 

Jimmy climbed the steps toward the front door of his home, nonplussed by the demons he could see guarding his family though the large window next to the front door. 

Sam hurried after Jimmy, running along the front walk of the Novak’s home toward the front door, although unlike Jimmy he kept low and to the shadows as much as possible sneaking his way toward front porch. 

Reaching out with one hand, Jimmy gripped the door handle and turned it, forcing open the front door. With his back stiff and head held high, Jimmy pushed open the door wide enough for him to walk through before rigidly stepping across the threshold. 

At that same moment as Sam stepped onto the porch intending to follow Jimmy inside, demons abruptly appeared to the left and right of the younger Winchester. Instantly and before Sam had a chance to defend himself, the demons grabbed each of the younger Winchester’s arms, pinning them behind him before proceeding to force him in through the front door. 

“Well, well, well, look what we have here,” the demon bitch purred with a pleased smirk curling the corner of her lips as she eyed Jimmy from head to toe. 

“Jimmy?” Amelia gasped softly, tears streaming down her cheeks unchecked. 

“Daddy?” Claire whimpered. 

Jimmy gave no response to their words, barely sparing them a glance before returning his attention to Dean and the demon bitch standing before him. 

Dean weakly lifted his head from where it’d been hanging limply forward. His brow knitted incredulously and he gave a slight shake of his head as his gaze met Sam’s. 

Sam grit his teeth as he struggled against the demon’s holding him when his eyes met Dean’s. His gaze softened, eyes wide and beseeching as he shook his own head in rebuttal to Dean’s silent accusation.

“He said he had a plan,” Sam explained lamely. 

Dean closed his eyes and drew in a breath before blowing it out heavily as he shook his head and reopened his eyes, his gaze locked on Sam. 

The demon bitch’s gaze darted past Jimmy over to where Sam stood near the open front door, securely held captive by the two demons flanking him. 

“And look at you, Sam,” she murmured, her lips curling further into a smug smirk, “sticking to your end of the deal,” she mused sardonically. 

“How chivalrous,” she quipped sarcastically, eyes widening teasingly for a brief moment before she chuckled. 

Turning on the ball of her foot to face Dean, she grinned wickedly and tilted her head slightly to the side as she leisurely made her way over to him then stepped around behind his chair. 

“You know, it’s too bad that we don’t keep ours,” she said flippantly as she returned her gaze to the younger Winchester. 

She slowly pulled her attention away from Sam, her eyes sliding to the side toward the demon sitting near Dean, “Go ahead Omar,” she encouraged. 

“You do that again and so help me God,” Dean threatened as he struggled against the ropes holding him bound to the chair. 

“What are you and _God_ gonna do?” she mocked, eyes narrowing irritatedly before her lips curled into a smug smirk. 

“Oh and that fancy little tooth pick you came in here with?” she mused, “It’s mine now.”

Ignoring Dean’s threats, Omar did as the demonic bitch commanded and touched the corresponding leads to the correct terminals, sending volts of electricity throughout Dean’s body. 

His muscles strained and tensed and his jaw clenched as sweat dotted his brow, rivulets trickling down from his temples. He grit his teeth against the want to scream and his face flushed a deep crimson as a long drawn out pain filled growl tore from his throat. 

“Dean,” growled Sam anxiously. 

Sam’s eyes widened apprehensively as memories of Dean unconscious in that basement years ago after hunting the rawhead flashed through his mind. He stutter stepped forward toward Dean only to be jerked back by the demons restraining him despite how he fought against their hold.

“Get the vessel,” the demon skank ordered.

Jimmy took a step back away from the demons who advanced on him and his intense azure eyes darted between the two who continued toward him before his gaze slid to Dean. A muscle in his clenched jaw twitched and his eyes tightened into narrowed threatening slits as he paused there; without a glance toward his family, his attention fixing solely on Dean. 

Sam’s brow furrowed incredulously as he gaped at Jimmy when he just stood there while the demons converged on him, not even bothering to try and get away, “Jimmy, get outta the way!” Sam barked. 

“Let him go,” Jimmy commanded, voice low and throaty, his gaze remaining locked on Dean. 

Sam’s eyes widened dumbfoundedly as he recognized the voice that came out of Jimmy. 

“Cas,” he muttered to himself in astonishment.

When two of the demons were close to flanking Castiel, the angel immediately stepped forward, crossing some of the distance left separating them. He lifted both arms out to his sides and with his teeth clenched angrily, his gaze fixed on the demon controlling the battery, he gripped each of the demons one handedly by the face and slammed them to the floor as white light filled their meat suits. 

Omar’s eyes widened fearfully and released the leads, allowing them to fall free of the terminals, effectively ending the electrocution as the demon jumped to his feet. Turning, Omar attempted to run toward the back door in hopes of escaping the angel’s wrath only to have Castiel advance on him, crossing the distance faster than the demon could have ever hope to. He shoved Omar with one hand then pressed his opposite hand to the side of the demon’s face. Immediately Omar’s meat suit filled with white light ridding the body of the demon. 

As soon as the excruciating pain stopped, Dean’s body slumped limply in the chair, eyes closed, lashes and hair wet with sweat. His head fell weakly forward and spittle dripped from between his slack lips, falling unchecked to the floor between his boot clad bound feet. 

The two demons holding Sam slowly turned their attention from the fight playing out in front of them and gazed wide eyed up at Sam. It was a pretty safe bet that the angel was going to turn his rage on them next not to mention they were standing there holding onto Lucifer’s vessel. Louise wasn’t as much of a badass as she thought she was, at least not compared to a pissed off angel and Lucifer. With a pointed look at one another, the two demons opted for option number two, self preservation. Releasing the Winchester, the two demons ran for the front door. 

Hearing the commotion behind him and catching a glimpse of the demons releasing Sam, Castiel turned his head away as he pressed a hand to the next demon he came to, one that had ran in from outside. 

“Sam, get Jimmy’s family out of here!” Castiel instructed as he looked back over his shoulder at Sam.

Sam hurried over to Amelia and Claire, “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay,” he soothed. 

Reaching into his front pocket, he pulled out his pocket knife and began cutting through the ropes holding Claire first and then Amelia. Once they were free he led them toward the stairs. 

“Um, where’s your bathroom?” he asked as he turned to face Amelia. 

She pointed up the stairs, “Up there, to the left,” she replied. 

“Okay, come on,” Sam murmured as he started up the steps. 

Castiel turned as the last body hit the floor and it was just he and Louise and Dean inside the house. The angel took a step toward Louise and the demon withdrew Ruby’s knife from her waistband and quickly grabbed a handful of Dean’s hair, pressing the knife to his throat. 

Dean grunted in pain filled annoyance, “Sonuvabitch,” he growled. 

“Come any closer and I end him,” she threatened, a smirk slowly curling her lips, “Lucifer might even send me a fruit basket.” 

Sam bounded down the stairs after getting Amelia and Claire settled inside the bathroom, telling them to lock the door and not to let anyone inside. 

The ruckus had Louise panicking, her eyes widening with fear; afraid that the loud banging sound echoing through the house might be caused by more angels entering. 

“No,” she snarled. 

Deciding that she would not be sent back to hell without someone paying dearly for it, she pulled the blade from Dean’s throat and with it clenched tightly within her white knuckled grasp, lifted it high into the air with a malicious sneer. 

Castiel’s eyes widened in alarm, “No!” _Not him!_ he shouted a millisecond before the blade was thrust into Dean’s diaphragm.

Dean lurched forward in the chair as far as the rope holding him would allow, his brow creased and face contorting in pain and lips parting as his breaths heaved. Hips fingers curled into tight fists and blood slowly began to stain his lips red as it filled his mouth. 

Sam stopped dead in his tracks at the entrance to the living room, his gaze locked on his brother and the demon, watching as if in slow motion as the bitch’s hand lowered, the blade getting closer and closer to his brother’s body. 

His cry of, ‘No’ echoed Castiel’s and his brow creased with distress as he started forward toward his brother. 

_No, no, no, no, not again God, please no,_ he thought anxiously. 

Louise jerked the knife out of Dean’s chest and held it over him as her eyes darted between Sam and Castiel, “Nobody moves or I’ll cut out his heart,” she sneered. 

“You bitch,” Castiel spat, his voice a deep throaty rumble. 

Sam came to an abrupt halt and his surprised gaze swung to Castiel briefly before returning to the demon bitch and his brother. 

“Sam, get out of here, go see to Jimmy’s family,” Castiel commanded. 

“What?” Sam asked incredulously, brow knitting in confusion. “N-no!” he argued, eying Castiel, uncertain as to why the angel seemed to be trying to get rid of him. 

A muscle in Castiel’s jaw clenched as his eyes tightened dangerously. With as enraged as he was over what had happened to Dean, he had every intention of being quite brutal when he took care of Louise. It was a side of himself that he would prefer the younger Winchester to not see.

“Sam, go!” Castiel retorted. 

The distinct sound of angel wings fluttering filled the room and then Castiel was on her, grabbing a handful of Louise’s hair with one hand while disarming her with the other. He tossed the knife to Sam just as Louise started to smoke out of her meat suit, she didn’t get very far as Castiel caught the smoke with his now free hand and shoved it back into the body. 

Castiel lifted his angry gaze to Sam, “Go,” he snarled viciously. 

With a final worried glance toward his brother, Sam huffed softly and turned, heading toward the staircase. 

Lowering his attention back to the demon, Castiel watched apathetically as the bright light filled her meat suit as he covered her mouth with his hand, trapping the demon inside and she slowly painfully died, her eyes having rolled up into her head with the intensity of the light. He abruptly dropped the body and stepped over it to get to Dean. 

Rounding the chair, Castiel crouched in front of it and reached up with one hand, tilting Dean’s head up. 

“’S about time you got here,” Dean grumped weakly as their gazes met. 

Gossamer thin strands of blood connected his top and bottom lips as Dean spoke and his breaths heaved painfully, blood beginning to soak through not only the two shirts that he wore but the jacket. 

Castiel remained silent, his lips pressed firmly together in a thin line as he reached for the ropes wrapped around Dean’s wrists first, yanking them free. Keeping his one hand pressed gently to the side of Dean’s face, Castiel reached down and released the ropes from around Dean’s ankles.

“You wanna,” Dean gasped, wheezing in a breath, “get ridda this gaping hole in me?” he suggested sarcastically. 

Castiel turned his attention to his Charge’s face, his thumb pressed gently under Dean’s chin as he held the hunter’s head up, gazing into jade eyes framed by long lashes. The corner of Castiel’s lips twitched upward just slightly as he smoothed the thumb of his hand cradling his Charge’s face across the freckles that dotted Dean’s cheekbones and across the bridge of his nose. 

The angel thought of how many times he’d watched Dean sleep and longed to reach out and do this very thing. How often he’d stood staring at his Charge, wondering what it would feel like to run his fingertips over the areas of Dean’s face that caught his attention. 

He lifted his other hand and pressed three of his fingers against the hunter’s jaw line, his thumb brushing softly across his Charge’s full bottom lip. With a soft smile pulling at the corners of his lips, Castiel pulled his hand away from Dean’s jaw line and lifted it to his forehead. Pressing the pads of his index and middle fingers against Dean’s skin, the angel instantly healed him. 

Just before he had run off, frightened by his own thoughts and feelings, Castiel had thought a time or two about what it would be like to kiss his Charge. Dean use to always tell Cas that he was going to buy him a bell so he would stop sneaking up on him, well now that he knew what it was, Cas decided that he was going to buy Dean a tube of chap stick so he’d stop licking his lips all the time. Maybe then they’d be even, maybe. 

His eyes roamed adoringly over Dean’s features, _I think I love you,_ he thought the words he could never say aloud. He knew his time was growing short, Dean would be sitting up, wide awake and able to actually remember all this in a very short couple more minutes. 

Licking his own lips, Castiel’s eyes lowered to Dean’s and he slowly started to lean in. He had no real idea what he was doing however he had kissed that girl at the whore house and there were those few pornos that he had watched, purely by accident because they were already on the television of course. So he hoped like hell he could muddle his way through this. 

Dean muttered under his breath and sighed, drawing Castiel’s attention upward, his lips a hairs breath away from Dean’s. He paused there, not even breathing as he waited to see if Dean was going to open his eyes and sit up or not. When his Charge seemed to quiet, Castiel lowered his gaze again and tilted his head to one side. This was it, here went nothing…


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy Novak allowed himself to be used as the vessel for an angel named Castiel. One night Castiel abruptly leaves him and Jimmy is left to deal with the aftermath and the knowledge of things he never wanted to know and that his frail human body can not take. When demons hear of the newly emptied vessel they come for it, attacking not only Jimmy but the Winchester boys. During the brawl Dean Winchester is kidnapped and Jimmy must once again call on the angel that had once used him as a vessel. He offers himself up so that Castiel can rescue Dean for a price; he wants only two things. One, to be allowed the release of death now so that he can be free to go to Heaven and two, a promise that Castiel will see to it that his human family is never harmed. If the angel agrees he can have Jimmy’s body forever, save his beloved Dean Winchester and never have to worry about the human spirit that once dwelt within.

“So is Dean alright, did you heal him?” Sam blurted as he barged into the room. 

Castiel jerked back and was on his feet in a blur of movement too fast for Sam to totally catch though were Dean alert he likely would have felt a draft. 

“Uh…” Sam muttered as his gaze darted between Castiel and his brother. “Did I…? Should I leave again?” 

“What for?” Castiel inquired dryly. 

Dean sucked in an audible breath as his head lifted and his eyes slipped open. 

“Cas? Sammy?” he rasped, gaze darting between the two of them. 

“Dean,” Sam murmured as he crossed the distance between himself and his brother, “You alright now?”

Dean frowned thoughtfully as he pulled to his feet and shrugged a shoulder, “I dunno, I could eat,” he offered in answer to Sam’s inquiry. 

Sam rolled his eyes incredulously, _Unbelievable,_ he sighed and shook his head. 

“What?” Dean inquired innocently, “I could go for some rotisserie chicken,” he remarked. 

“You and Sam head back to the car, I have a few things to finish up here,” Castiel suggested. 

Dean eyed Cas a moment and his brows rose curiously, “You sure, Cas?” 

Castiel nodded, “Yeah,” he replied with a glance toward the stairs before looking back at Dean, “I have a few promises to keep.” 

Dean glanced over at Sam and lifted his brows as he shrugged, Sam nodded and returned the gesture before they both looked back at Castiel, nodding their approval. 

“You’re - you’re gonna stick around though, right?” Dean inquired. 

Castiel nodded, “Yes,” he responded. “I won’t be vacating again, at least not if I can help it. I’ll see you both soon,” he promised before disappearing with a flutter of angel wings. 

“Vacating?” Dean inquired with a quirk of one brow as he looked over at his brother. 

“Why’s everything he say gotta sound so weird?” he asked incredulously. 

Sam chuckled in amusement as they both turned and started for the front door of Jimmy’s home.

He cleared his throat as he shook his head, “I dunno, man,” he finally answered. “’S gotta be kinda nice though, bein’ able to fly everywhere,” Sam muttered with a shake of his head. 

Dean scoffed and shook his head, “No thank you, I like it here on the ground just fine,” he retorted. 

Sam snickered, “Oh right, I almost forgot, Mister I’m-Afraid-To-Fly,” he teased, eyes twinkling with mischief as he looked over at his brother. 

Dean’s eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched stubbornly, “That’s not funny,” he growled. 

Sam chuckled and nodded, “Yeah it is,” he disagreed amusedly. 

“Yeah, well you just wait till I dress Cas up as a clown and have him poppin’ in on ya all over the place. You’ll be cowering on the floor in tears,” he shot back. 

Sam scoffed then harrumphed indignantly and turned his attention away from his brother as they stepped out the front door. 

Dean grinned triumphantly, a wicked cackle tumbling from his lips, his own eyes shining with mischief. 

Silence stretched between them as they headed back toward the car, reaching them, they both walked toward the Impala. 

“Speakin’ of poppin’ in and flyin,” Dean mused as he reached the drivers side of the car and leaned an arm against the side of her roof, looking across it at Sam, lips curved down into a thoughtful frown, “You feel like buffalo wings?” Dean asked hopefully. 

“Why do you even ask me? Why not just tell me that’s where we’re going?” Sam responded. 

“Well,” Dean muttered, giving a shrug of one shoulder as he pulled his arm off the roof and reached for his car door, “because I want you to at least _think_ that you get a say,” he teased with a grin as he popped open the car door and slid inside. 

Sam rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips as he shook his head at his brother and sighing heavily, reaching for his own door handle. 

“At least some things are back to normal,” he mumbled under his breath as he pulled the door open and folded his long frame into the front passenger seat.

“I heard that,” Dean grumped, looking over at Sam as he pulled the door closed.

Dean was channel surfing as he sat in one of the beds of the motel room that he and Sam had checked into after they’d stopped by a Buffalo wing restaurant while Sam sat at the small table clicking away on his laptop, neither of them talking about what had just happened only hours ago. Dean had changed his bloody shirt in the car before they’d went into the restaurant and then after they’d checked in he’d hit the shower. Now he was clean and crusty blood free and getting more and more agitated the longer he sat and thought about it, about everything Jimmy had said. 

Tossing down the remote with a huff, he lifted his gaze to Sam, “Alright, exactly when are we gonna talk about it?” he inquired bluntly. 

Sam turned his head, brows lifted in confusion, “Uh, as soon as you tell me what ‘it’ is?” He suggested. 

“This thing with Cas,” Dean spat as he swung his legs off the side of the bed and pulled to his feet. 

“Jimmy said he’s got this…this I dunno angel crush goin’,” he responded, “How the hell are we supposed to deal with that? What, watch him, watchin’ us?” he inquired skeptically as he crossed the distance between the bed and the table. 

“He’ll end up watchin’ us watchin’ him and then it’ll be him watching us, watchin’ him, watchin’ us, watchin’ him…” he paused and blinked, “Oh God, my head hurts,” he mumbled. 

Sam shook his head, “I don’t think we need to worry, I mean Jimmy said Cas knows better, it’s why he left and besides, we’ve been around him this long and he’s never done,” Sam paused and licked his lips nervously as he looked away from Dean, avoiding eye contact with him. 

Dean’s eyes widened, “You know somethin’!” he accused and moved to take a seat at the table across from Sam. 

Sam shook his head, “I don’t _know_ anything,” he corrected, “It was just what it looked like…”

Dean gasped and his eyes widened, “I really have been groped by an angel.”

Sam gave his head a small shake, “Not exactly.”

“Not exactly? What the hell does not exactly mean? How can you be not exactly felt up by an angel? What, he missed?” Dean spat incredulously. 

Sam rolled his eyes, “No, it means that when I was walking in earlier, I could have sworn I saw something…but I couldn’t have…I don’t think…” he mused, brow creasing in confusion. 

“Well?” Dean coaxed anxiously, “What the hell did you see, or think you saw?” 

“Oh God, I was my angel’s bitch boy…” he muttered half under his breath as he lowered his gaze miserably. 

Sam snorted, the sound drawing Dean’s attention back up to Sam’s face. 

“If you want me to tell you, you can’t say things like that and not expect me to laugh,” Sam warned with a shake of his head as he pressed his lips into a thin line in effort not to do as he’d just said and laugh. 

Dean glared at his brother, “Oh I’m sure this is real funny to you,” he grumped. 

“Dean, no matter if Cas wants to …to…hell I dunno whatever, he’s been our friend for a long time now, yours especially…”

“Don’t remind me,” Dean mumbled interrupting Sam. 

“Dean,” Sam chastised. 

“They guy’s popped in on me in the bathroom, Sam,” Dean complained. 

Sam sighed, “Point is, he’s never done anything in all that time, I doubt he would now,” he soothed.

“Yeah, I guess,” Dean mumbled as he lowered his gaze ashamedly.

Sam nodded, lips pressed together in a tight lipped smile as he returned his attention to his laptop. 

Dean looked back up at Sam and quirked a brow, “So, what was it you thought you saw then?” he inquired. 

Sam glanced up at his brother before returning his attention to the computer screen, “Oh,” he shook his head, “Just Castiel kiss you,” he replied. 

Dean’s eyes widened in alarm as he gasped in a shocked breath and immediately began to choke on it.

Dean was sitting at the table with Sam, looking at his own laptop screen when Castiel appeared in the center of the motel room, his brow creased inquisitively. 

His gaze met Dean’s as the hunter lifted his gaze and the angel crossed the distance between them. 

“Amelia and Claire safe now?” Dean inquired. 

Castiel nodded, lips pressed into a thin line, “I kept my promise to Jimmy, they will never have to worry again,” he replied. 

Dean eyed Castiel a long moment, “What about Jimmy? Don’t you think the guy might want to be with his family?”

“No,” Castiel responded with a sigh, “Jimmy asked a favor of me and I granted it to him. He rests in the fields of the Lord, this vessel completely belongs to me now.” 

Sam’s eyes widened marginally as his lips curved down into a thoughtful frown as he glanced at his brother when Dean looked briefly over at him. Both Winchesters then returned their attention to Castiel. 

“So Jimmy’s family’s safe, Jimmy got his wish, it’s Miller time, eh?” Dean inquired with a quirk of one brow. 

“I…” Castiel started only to pause and tilt his head. 

“Cas, why did you leave to begin with?” Sam asked, glancing at Dean from the corner of his eye. 

Castiel sighed heavily and lowered his gaze thoughtfully before lifting it once more, “There are some who would find the thoughts and feelings that I had begun to have blasphemous, I was…in need of some time away where I could ponder the truth…see if I agreed with those assumptions or not.”

Dean nodded, a thoughtful frown of understanding curling his lips. 

“Hey Cas, one more thing,” Sam murmured. 

“Yes?” Castiel replied. 

“Just when was it exactly that you entered Jimmy earlier?” Sam inquired, brow creased curiously. 

Castiel’s head turned slightly to one side as he eyed Sam and tilted his head, a clever smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“How do you know I was ever truly gone?” he responded. 

Castiel glanced at Dean, his azure eyes twinkling with mischief as he looked between the two Winchesters. 

His gaze focused and lingered on Dean for a long moment before he turned and stepped closer to the elder Winchester. 

Dean began to grow increasingly more uncomfortable with the way Castiel was staring down at him. He shrunk back away from Cas when the angel took a step toward him, his head clunking against the wall behind him. 

Lowering his eyes to Dean’s lips briefly Castiel lifted them once more, his gaze meeting Dean’s as he lifted a hand and reached out, cupping the side of Dean’s face. Tenderly, he began to run the pad of his thumb along the plump delicate flesh of his Charge’s bottom lip.

The clip-clip sound of Sam’s fingers moving over the keys on his computer slowly dissipated then stopped all together as his attention focused in on the angel and his brother, his eyes comically wide and mouth hanging slack in shock. 

Dean’s eyes lowered from Castiel’s, looking anxiously down toward his lip before his gaze darted back up to meet the angel’s. He pressed his lips together and cleared his throat awkwardly before they parted and his tongue started to dart out and lick across his lips, though he stopped himself, his eyes widening slightly with the realization of what he’d nearly done. 

“Uh, Cas,” he began shakily. 

“Yes, Dean?” Castiel inquired softly as his eyes lifted to Dean’s from where they had lowered; the movement of his Charge’s tongue having caught the angel’s eye. He’d watched as the tip of Dean’s tongue had teased at the edge of the hunter’s lips. 

“Maybe…maybe we should talk about this,” Dean stammered. 

Sam snapped his mouth closed and swallowed hard as he nodded vigorously, “Uh-huh,” he agreed. 

“You know, I did this before,” Castiel mused, the corner of his lips quirking upward just slightly. 

Dean’s eyes widened slightly and his nostrils flared incredulously before he pushed against the table with one hand and the chair in which he sat with the other in an attempt to get further away from Castiel as he swallowed hard, “You did?” 

Castiel nodded, “When you were recovering earlier,” he confided. 

Dean’s eyes darted to the side toward Sam, their gazes met and Sam shook his head as he shrugged helplessly. 

Dean’s eyes tightened as he glared at his brother before returning his attention to Castiel.

“So okay, you felt up my lip,” he quipped with a shrug of one shoulder and a feigned smile, “It’s not a big deal, it happens.” _In prison!_

Castiel lifted his other hand and brushed the knuckles of his index and middle fingers slowly across Dean’s cheek bone. 

“I did this too,” he murmured.

Dean’s eyes lowered and tracked the movement of Castiel’s hand, even as it fell away from his face. He cleared his throat nervously as he lifted his gaze back up, jade green meeting azure blue. 

“Okay well, you’re just…one of those touchy feely kind of angels,” Dean concluded with a thoughtful frown and a shrug of one shoulder. 

Castiel slowly shook his head, his hand still cupping Dean’s cheek, slipping down to his jaw line, gently forcing his Charge’s face to tilt upward as he leaned in. 

“No,” he whispered, just before his head tilted to one side and his eyes slipped closed, his mouth slanting over Dean’s. 

Sam’s eyes widened to comedic proportions, “Holy shit,” he breathed. 

Castiel slowly mapped out his Charge’s mouth, flicking the tip along Dean’s palate and sliding it along side his Charge’s own. He wasn’t totally disappointed when Dean didn’t really kiss him back beyond what reflex and shock had led him to do before it dawned on his muddled brain just who it was that was kissing him and he realized it wasn’t some blonde bombshell or brunette beauty at least not one with a rack the size of the Appalachian mountains. Castiel had one thing on those girls though, unlike them, Dean Winchester would never remember this. He also would never remember anything else about the last twenty four hours. Everything that Jimmy had told him and Sam would be gone as well as everything that had happened from the moment that he and Sam had fallen asleep in the other motel room. Dean would know nothing about Castiel ever having left Jimmy Novak’s body to begin with. 

Slowly pulling his head back as he sucked at his Charge’s bottom lip for one small moment, Castiel ended the kiss and straightened. Regret shown in the depths of his azure eyes as he gazed down at his Charge, regret and a love that would never be returned. With a heavy heart, Castiel turned toward Sam and in the flutter of angel wings, he stood over the younger Winchester. Lifting one hand the angel cupped Sam’s face while he lifted the other and pressed his index and middle finger to Sam’s forehead, effectively wiping his memory of all of the same events. 

Castiel disappeared a moment later. 

Dean blinked and his brow knitted in confusion as he turned his head, looking quizzically over at his brother. He licked his lips, sucking the bottom one into his mouth, his brow furrowing deeper as he frowned, completely perplexed. 

Sam frowned in confusion and turned in his chair, looking around the motel room. 

“Dude, weren’t we in a different room when we went to bed?” he asked tentatively. 

“Better question is, weren’t we in bed?” Dean responded, looking around them, brow creased in confusion. 

“And why the hell do I taste vanilla cake?” he inquired incredulously. 

Sam shrugged his shoulders, brows lifting in confusion, “How do I know what you’ve put in your mouth?”

Dean frowned in annoyance at his brother before his eyes widened excitedly and his lips curved into a grin, “We should go have cake,” he suggested. 

“Cake? What happened to pie?” Sam inquired skeptically. 

“My mouth doesn’t taste like _pie_ , it taste like cake, dammit,” Dean grumped as he pulled to his feet, “And I want some more.” 

Sam scoffed and shook his head, brow once again raised incredulously, “What the hell was I working on?” he muttered to himself before turning his attention to Dean. 

“Have at it, man,” he muttered, frowning as he turned his attention back to the laptop screen. 

“You don’t want any?” Dean asked with a lift of his brows. 

“Nah,” Sam replied with a shake of his head, “somethin’ about the idea of cake just weirds me out all of the sudden.” 

♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ 

**The End**


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